From The Ashes
by Aethelgythe
Summary: Optimus Prime knew his daughter was dead. Yet he couldn't deny the feeling within his spark that he'd left something precious behind on Earth-a planet now ruled by Megatron. After the UN banished the Autobots, the humans were enslaved.With their only defenders gone-all hope for freedom was lost-until a girl arose from the ashes-Her defiance sparking recognition in Con & Bot alike.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: **Here is the long awaited sequel at last to my other story "Child of** **Light".** /I honestly considered taking that story off the website or at least rewriting it since my writing improved since then. Not to mention there was a story pirate that stole that story and posted it on a different website! :o That wasn't the worst of it either. They took my story and perverted it (slash between Prowl and Jazz) which made my future corpse roll in my grave. /It might help to read my first story before this one but of course I think this story could also be a stand-alone type as well. It's up to you! :D

 _(Also this is rated T for mild swearing, violence, torture, death (never graphic only suggested), and physical abuse: Read at your own discretion)_

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers. I don't own the idea either concerning the Autobots' banishment and the Cons' enslavement of the human race. The cover image is not mine-found it in google images.

 **EPILOGUE**

It had been a long time since anyone had seen the true beauty that once defined planet Earth. Now most of it was a shadowy wasteland. Amazingly enough, the desecration was not caused by any form of nuclear war. When it came to fighting giant, killer, alien robots from another planet, mankind for once chose to think of long term consequences, ultimately deciding to forgo unleashing such lasting devastation upon their alien enemies.

It would have destroyed the entire human race. Not that it mattered, because the Decepticons still grievously maligned the face of the planet after their final confrontation with their eons' old rivals. That occurred the day that the Autobots, in a desperate effort to prevent the Decepticon leader from claiming dominion over what he deemed to be an inferior race, fought one last decisive battle.

That was when their secret identities became publicly known.

Interestingly enough, it did not cause as much widespread panic as one would be lead to believe. There were multiple people responsible for that of course. There were a few humans who had been rescued by the Autobots before in the past who broke their oaths of silence and secrecy and published what appeared to be rather ingenious, creative works of art…using what knowledge they gleaned from their rescuers to produce children's television shows, movies, comics, books, and toys.

So once the Transformers… _the Cybertronians_ …were at last revealed, they provoked adverse reactions from the general populace. Many were shocked beyond words to find that what they once believed to be fictional was in fact, reality. Many adoring fans were beside themselves when their favorite heroes came to life and were not constricted by the boundaries of a television screen for the first time.

Others were terrified and believed that their appearance was a herald to a world-ending apocalypse.

As it turned out, Megatron was defeated and killed in battle just two years before the Transformers were revealed to the world. It seemed as though the war was over. Most of the Decepticons disbanded after their leader's defeat. Some became neutral and some even chose to join the Autobots. There were many Cybertronians who willingly left to travel the stars since their planet was still unlivable. The Autobots chose to stay to ensure that Earth would not fall victim to a stray Decepticon who might have dreamt to uphold Megatron's dark legacy.

Two years.

Two years of blessed peace.

 _It was not to last…_

Everyone was led to believe that Soundwave was one of the ones who left peacefully.

 _They were all deceived._

He remained underground, where he pledged his spark to Unicron the destroyer and attempted to resurrect him from the void that Primus had cast him into eons ago.

He failed.

 _Or so he thought…_

While it was true that he failed to bring Unicron back…he did succeed in bringing back another spark. It was thus that Megatron was resurrected purely by accident. Yet it was far from one. Unicron, unbeknownst to all but his most devoted disciple, knew the real reason why he allowed Megatron's dark spark admittance to return.

Everyone would come to learn the truth in future days.

Upon the Decepticon leader's return, many Decepticons returned to his side. Only a rare few chose to stay with their new allies and refused to reclaim their former place under Megatron's leadership.

Megatron later gave the citizens of Earth an ultimatum that they were required to make within the timeframe of one hour. The choice: Banish the remaining Autobots for all eternity and allow the Decepticons to remain long enough to collect resources so they could return to their world in the hopes of restoring it… or be destroyed in a sadistic, mass genocide.

The U.N. did agree to banish the Autobots. They believed that Earth would be safe if they simply sent them away.

 _It was all a lie._

The world leaders should have known better.

They left the Autobots with a warning, that should they ever attempt to return, they would be hunted down and terminated with extreme prejudice. Fortunately for the world governments, the majority of Earth's populace were not privy to the specifics behind the U.N.'s decision. Otherwise there would have been mass rioting and perhaps even civil war between the public and their governments.

Many would agree in future days, that sending their only protectors and defenders away, was the biggest mistake they ever made. They didn't know the half of it.

 _If only they knew what was to come…_

In their arrogance, they believed themselves capable of defending their own nations from the brutality that the Decepticon leader, Megatron, soon inflicted. In the beginning, it seemed as though they stood a good chance.

It was all a ruse. Another lie. A false hope that Megatron employed in order to crush mankind's hope for victory.

Three weeks after the Autobots were banished, Megatron revealed his true, tyrannical nature. He, along with his followers, razed entire cities to the ground and snuffed billions of innocent lives in their maniacal campaign for conquest. Hundreds of Decepticons had secretly arrived to Earth right after the Autobots were banished. Megatron could at last claim complete and total dominion over planet Earth…

Mankind was left all alone to fight an enemy that was far superior and that could easily outmatch them, in every way. That didn't stop them from trying. All military forces attempted to strike back in one unified, global effort to defend their world.

They failed.

In the end…less than 20 million Earthlings survived.

Over time, Megatron enslaved all of the humans who remained. He used his new slave labor force to mine and extract Earth's precious resources for his diabolical agenda. Many thousands more, died under the supervision of their merciless, heartless masters. It became quickly apparent that the human race was now on the verge of extinction.

Mankind despaired. They had no protectors. No defenders. No rescuers.

 _No hope…_

Yet some would learn eventually, that hope could manifest in many forms. For amongst those slaves, was a young woman…adult in body, but still very much a child in spirit. A young woman who carried memories from a former life, a forgotten past… memories that would one day surface the day she unlocked the secrets contained within her spark, her soul.

The time was approaching, when she would finally be permitted to remember who she really was…and the reason why Primus sent her to Earth.

He chose her…to give mankind hope and to light their darkest hour.

To the rest of the world, she was known as Rayne Payton.

But in secret, she had another name. Her true name…her lost identity, she would soon discover for herself.

For she was the daughter of one of the galaxies' most memorable heroes.

She was the unmistakable child…

… _of Optimus Prime_.

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

Author's Note: The epilogues for my stories are many times boring and always seem to be the shortest. Don't worry, the chapters will get longer and more interesting from here. Sorry but updates are most likely going to be slow since I've started a new job that is very demanding. My computer doesn't always cooperate and real life issues keep me busy nowadays. Thanks for reading and please review!


	2. The Day it All Began

CHAPTER 1

 _ **0003 Years A.B.—(After Banishment)**_

A shrill siren pierced the stillness of the night, startling most of the dozing human inhabitants of slave camp Epsilon-41, awake.

Rayne Payton, a young woman of the age of twenty-three, sat upright from where she'd been dozing on her assigned cot and groaned. It was far too early to be conscious at this hour…

There were only two reasons why that siren went off. It went off in the event of an attempted prison break in progress…or if the ragtag, rather obscure, newly discovered human resistance successfully infiltrated the camp from outside their borders.

A lumbering Decepticon marched past the tent, cursing in Cybertronian. The ground shook slightly from where his large pedes hit the ground and a dark, frightening shadow was cast over the slaves' 'sleeping quarters'. Rayne released a weary sigh.

 _It must be a prisoner trying to escape…_

The blaring, near ear shattering siren was soon deactivated.

Rayne held her breath and listened intently as she, along with the other slaves heard the screams of a man as he was caught by the Decepticon.

 _That idiot must have a death wish…_

It wasn't that shocking. Just about everyone had one at some point.

Then to her surprise she heard a younger man. A late teenager. Now that her curiosity was more than piqued, she tip-toed to the edge of the tent to the right of her cot and peered through one of the clear, plastic window flaps to get a better look at what was happening. She face-palmed and bowed her head in pity.

 _Those morons just had to aggravate Shockdrop…_

Within the recesses of her mind, the young woman refused to acknowledge them as her masters. During the day when all of the slaves were working, everyone was required to address them by their title. If anyone called a Decepticon by their given Earth designation without first adding the humiliating prefix of 'Master', they either got severely punished or were killed outright. Fortunately, the slave drivers of camp Epsilon-41 were underlings, within the grand hierarchy of the mighty, Decepticon-empire. Everyone knew that Megatron and his main followers were the top dogs. At least Megatron didn't have to explain the intricacies regarding his chain of command. All Transformer fanatics…at least the ones who survived the initial mass genocide of the human race…knew precisely who was who.

Rayne was no exception.

When Thundercracker first visited their camp only a few months ago, she instantly knew who he was. Luckily the reason for his visit was to inspect the camp and take a monitored reading of the conditions that the human slaves were in. He must not have been satisfied with the results because Shockdrop—the head slave driver—had received a brutal beating that rivaled some of the ones that the unproductive humans were given for their setbacks or failures. Perhaps to some degree…Shockdrop was a slave himself…sort of. He was of course, in the eyes of his comrades, always going to be considered a tier above humanity.

Thankfully slave camp Epsilon-41 had not yet been visited by Megatron. She couldn't stop a shudder from racing down her spine as her mind began to grind out morbid possibilities regarding his 'visit'.

There had been rumors before from prisoners that were transferred from other camps that Megatron sometimes visited work sites simply to torture and kill slaves for his own sick, twisted amusement. While she didn't doubt that it was a possibility, she had a feeling that Megatron valued slaves to some degree. Without slaves, it would be rather difficult for him to suck Earth dry of all its natural resources. So when he did kill slaves, he must have a good reason for it, right?

Rayne shook off her morbid musings and returned her attention to the scene that continued to unfold outside. She knew from experience that it was not going to end well for the two men. The towering form of the Cybertronian snarled down at the man in his hand. Rayne, along with everyone else in the tent heard exactly what was being said.

" **How long have you been a slave in this camp?"**

"Nearly three years, m-master," the man choked out as he shook with fear.

" **What is the main rule you are expected to always follow?"**

"N-never attempt to escape…"

" **Ah. Yes. Yet here you are,** " the Decepticon almost seemed to purr as he gestured vaguely around them. He then brought the human closer to his face with a throaty growl.

The other, younger human tried to stealthily slip away but the Decepticon snarled and lightly kicked the human and sent him flying. He landed on the ground just two feet shy of the electric fence. The young man was moaning, clearly in pain and curled up, clutching his stomach. He didn't dare pick himself back up. Shockdrop returned his attention to the slave currently held within his grasp and narrowed glowing, red optics that burned like hellfire.

" **As a senior slave, it is your duty to train the new slaves and teach them everything you know**. _INCLUDING_ **rule number one**! **Since you not only broke such a sacred rule but had the audacity to encourage your apprentice to escape as well…** _ **I know**_ **, that** _you_ **know, what must now follow**."

The man's eyes widened as he shook his head.

"No! _Please!_ Master, I'm sorry! Punish me and not him! He's only been here three days…he's healthy, fit, and strong. We will **never** disobey you again! _I swear!_ "

The Decepticon released a wicked laugh and slightly squeezed the man in his grip and leered down at him with disgust.

" _ **No**_ … **you will** _ **not**_."

Rayne turned her head away from the plastic window and covered her ears. This was not the first time she bore witness to the cruelty and horrors that the Decepticons bestowed upon her fellow man. Most days, the Decepticons would force everyone to watch. Tonight however, they let them off the hook. Probably because over time, their wicked masters learned that slaves tended to stay healthier and were far more productive if they had a decent night's sleep.

Rayne wondered if they allowed everyone to remain in their makeshift barracks, to simply give them nightmares. It made sense to her, after all…humans retained very active imaginations. What they couldn't see but could only hear, would no doubt manifest within their darkest dreams. Just another scare tactic to keep slaves in line...and to make their lives far more hellish than they already were.

Though the sounds were muffled, her hands could not block out the screams entirely as the Decepticon mercilessly tortured both men for a good ten minutes. To Rayne and everyone else in the camp…it felt a lot longer than a mere ten minutes.

Rayne stood with dull, unseeing eyes and had an emotionless expression. It was never a good thing to grow too attached to the people around you. That was something she learned five months ago when she first arrived at this slave camp. Humans nowadays had a very short life expectancy. Most didn't live past the age of forty-five, due to the conditions they were forced to live in. No one was living anymore….they were merely existing.

Just because she didn't outwardly express her emotions, didn't mean that she was cold or heartless. That was something she refused to let them take from her—the light and love within her heart. It was precious and sacred…something that Rayne Payton considered most dear. She would always retain the same loving, compassionate, and caring nature that she always had before the Transformers revealed themselves to the public.

One of the only ways that one could survive now, was to _**act**_ and _**appear**_ detached and uncaring. Watching the heartless acts of violence and hate all around her as the Decepticons drove them beyond their limits…always broke Rayne's heart. Rayne knew she had to stay strong, not just for herself, but for everyone else around her…so she continued to make herself look unsympathetic. Many people that first met her, thought her to be the very definition of a sociopath. Well, at least that all changed once they got to know her.

She, along with the rest of the slaves, were more than relieved to hear the two victims' agonizing screams taper off. At first Rayne believed that their torture alone had been their punishment. That wasn't the case when they both started begging and screaming again. Seconds later, their voices were abruptly silenced. The only sound after that, was the brief, harsh, grating laugh of the Decepticon. Rayne closed her eyes and grit her teeth with angered remorse.

When Rayne opened her eyes, she surveyed the entire barracks and took note of every occupant within it. Some of the newer slaves were shaking and quietly sobbing with fear. Rayne frowned pensively as she rubbed her tired, blood-shot eyes and blearily returned to her cot in the hopes of getting a few more hours of shut-eye. They were only permitted five to six hours of sleep. The newer slaves would eventually become accustomed to the inner workings within the slave camp. After what just occurred though, they were probably going to remain awake until dawn. That was normal. A few months into their fun-filled, happy get-a-way vacation at Epsilon-41, they would break and learn to overcome their fear.

Hopelessness and despair were a dismal, life sucking abyss that made a slave fearless. There was no reason to fear when you had nothing left to lose. Not everyone shared her sentiment. Some argued that there was one thing that you _could_ still lose: your life. Rayne's comeback always won the day. She told them, that they had already lost their lives, the day that they lost their freedom.

 _If only Optimus Prime was here… 'Freedom is the right of all sentient beings'...that's one hell of a catch phrase. I never understood the significance of its meaning until now. If he was here, he would free us._

Or would he? The human race banished him along with all of the other Autobots, no longer welcoming them but rather, disowning them. They probably wouldn't want to come back, even if they could. So there was no hope. They were all doomed to die, either from slave labor, or at the hands of their Decepticon masters. Which was why it was sometimes so easy to find oneself spiraling into that aforementioned life-sucking abyss.

As Rayne began to get more comfortable, she spoke to the frightened newcomers so as not to be overheard by their overbearing, Cybertronian slave drivers.

"You better try to get a couple more hours of sleep. You won't get the chance to do so until 11 pm tomorrow," her small frown and the severity of her warning expression was softened considerably by the compassion in her light brown eyes.

She shivered from the chill breeze that blew through the thin flaps of the green, military command tent that had been retrofitted to be used as slave quarters, and pulled the thin, thermal blanket up to her neckline and curled up.

If someone told her years ago that in the future she would be toiling mercilessly as one of 19 million Decepticon owned slaves, she would have given them the number of the nearest psychiatrist.

Rayne released a soft, tired sigh and burrowed further into her cot and closed her eyes. It usually took a little while to slow her racing mind. Her thoughts drifted as they often did as she started to enter a light REM cycle.

Memories of her former college friends and of her human family surfaced unbidden. She still missed them. If she hadn't of been so tired in that moment, she might have actually cried. No matter how desperately she tried to shut out those unwanted memories, they forced their way back into the forefront of her thoughts anyways.

There was only one way that Rayne Payton would be able to truly sleep that night.

The exhausted young woman stopped fighting and allowed her mind to wander, of its own accord. She remembered that day…the day the secret was out. The day that the Autobots were banished. That single, historical event, marked a new era. It was three weeks before the Decepticons began their victorious dominion of planet Earth. It was September 2nd …and it started off as any other day. Rayne wasn't entirely certain, but if her memory served her right, it had been a Wednesday…

 _-3 weeks B.B. (Before Banishment)—_

 _Rayne Payton sat at a small, smooth, birch-wood table located in the college library with a textbook and blank notebook spread out in front of her. She had her hand propped up against her cheek and had her head canted with glassy eyes and an expression of absolute boredom. Her eyes skimmed lazily across the page and rather than scribble down notes in her notebook, she used a yellow highlighter to mark sections that were pertinent enough to warrant her undivided attention._

 _She was no stranger to pop quizzes and trick questions on exams. It was her Sophomore year and she finished taking all of her general studies classes. Now that the fall semester started, she was supposed to choose a major. Rayne honestly didn't know what she wanted to do. So she chose to take a nursing class, in addition to Physiology and Anatomy, and Chemistry 101. Her uncle Jonathan was a paramedic upstate. Rayne wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to pursue Nursing as an actual career. Her professors told her that she had until the end of the current semester to truly choose a major. No pressure…_

 _Rayne stood up from her seat at the table and slammed the cover of her chemistry book shut in frustration and stuffed her things into her blue and yellow backpack. She couldn't concentrate. She needed a break…and she knew exactly where she was going to go._

 _There was a quaint little coffee shop down on Chestnut Street. They made the best Mocha Jo's in the world._

 _She never made it._

 _Before she even got to the crosswalk, she saw people running and shouting, cars were running through red lights, cell phones began to ring all around her and she stopped one of her classmates by grabbing him by his forearm as he was jogging by. His face was pale as though he'd seen a ghost, he was shaking, and from the way he was breathing…sounded as if he was on the verge of an asthma attack._

" _James, what's going on?"_

 _When he answered her, his voice quivered._

" _Transformers are freaking REAL! It's all over the news! Go turn on CNN and you'll see for yourself!"_

 _Rayne furrowed her brows with a pensive frown and pulled him back when he attempted to take off again. She gave him a skeptical look._

" _Are you sure this isn't a hoax?"_

" _No! I swear it's not! I didn't believe it myself either when my roommate told me. I turned on CNN and Fox News…all the legit news stations have real footage!"_

 _He then managed to yank himself free of her weakened grasp and sprinted away. Without further delay she too, ran back to her dormitory and to the main lounge where half of the residents were gathered around the big screen TV. The residents who were absent were most likely watching the same broadcast elsewhere. She listened to the reporter and was stunned into shocked, disbelieving, silence at what she saw._

 _There on screen were the Decepticons and the Autobots duking it out in the middle of a forest. She edged a little closer to get a better look and was amazed that she was able to immediately recognize them. They were fictional at one point, right? Then how did their fictional counterparts look almost exactly the same now? Was it a hoax?_

 _She soon received her answer after she was able to faintly hear the voices of both Megatron and Optimus Prime as they exchanged blows. They sounded nothing like the voice actors who portrayed them in the movies and cartoons. Come to think of it, she did note some differences in their true appearance. What's more, they were speaking in a strange electronic sounding language…Cybertronian obviously. Rayne would know. She had been a huge Transformer fan her entire life. Optimus Prime was always her favorite. She adored him and wistfully wished since she was little, that she could meet him in person._

 _The footage ended with static and the reporter returned on screen._

"That footage was captured by a Yellowstone National Park Forest Ranger, who was co-piloting a search and rescue chopper during a training exercise when he stumbled upon the scene. He was able to record only two minutes and forty-seven seconds. It was reported that their chopper came under fire by the enemy ground forces, forcing them to flee the area… government officials denied the authenticity of the video footage and deemed this to be nothing short of a hoax…"

 _The reporter vanished to be replaced with a video concerning a press conference. The National security advisor stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat as the sound of lens shutters snapping echoed around the quiet room, accompanied by bright flashes from the multiple camera bulbs. Without preamble he began._

"We do not believe that the video posted on YouTube contained any solid evidence that would suggest that the fictional robotic alien visitors, who have been more commonly known for generations as 'The Transformers', are real in any way whatsoever. This was the work of a self-acclaimed Hollywood film producer who wishes to remain anonymous at this time. The images you have seen regarding the 'forest battle' are a part of a live action movie still in progress. The director of the film has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the movie leak, admitting that the reason behind the video, was to inspire a modern day similarity to the radio show broadcast depicting Orson Welles' adaptation of the H.G. Well's fictional novel, "The War of the Worlds", which was aired on October 30th, 1938. He offers his sincerest regrets for any undue panic that this may have caused. There will be no questions," _he turned away from the podium. The image of angry reporters shouting in protest filled the screen and was silenced once the reporter lady returned to finish her news report._

"The Vice President stepped forward to add his own declaration two hours after the National Security Advisor's statement…" _the reporter paused and her face fell as she continued soberly_ , "…until this occurred…"

 _Another video was played, this one erasing any doubts that anyone had had, that yes, the Transformers were very real. A camera man was currently in the middle of taping a scene for a live, reality T.V. show when the entire roof of the building was ripped off to reveal Megatron in person. In the creepiest manner…he looked directly into the camera with a sneer and delivered a chilling statement._

" **People of Earth…if you have any doubts of our existence…here is your proof! Some of you may already know who I am. For those that don't, I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. Your government has done an admirable job withholding and concealing the truth from you. Should your leader choose to hide or withhold this documented footage of mine, I will destroy your nation's capital. Any attempted military offensive will be deemed as an act of war. Ignore my warning, Mr. President, and the blood of your citizens will be on your hands. Be assured that what I have said is not a threat…it's a** _**promise**_."

 _Then the video ended in static. The news reporter appeared again on screen, holding a thermos and sipped on what Rayne guessed to be coffee since the woman had dark rings under her eyes and was becoming more haggard by the minute. She continued her report._

"I have just received word that the President of the United States is about to make a speech within the Oval office. Stand by…"

 _Everyone who was glued to the television waited with baited breath for the beginning of the broadcast. After about sixty seconds, a clear image came into view. The President was sitting at his desk and he held his head high with confidence although the glimmer of unshed tears and the brief flicker of despair that crossed his face did not go unnoticed by Rayne._

"Dearly beloved citizens of these United States. I regret to inform you that all video footage and live broadcasts witnessed are true and authentic. Our government, in addition to the United Nations were in agreement decades ago that it would be within everyone's best interest that the truth should be withheld from you. We did not want to incite panic…" _he paused and for the first time since he took office a mere year ago, he took the notes he was reading from and shoved them in a drawer beneath his desk and kept them out of sight. He pressed his lips together in a grim line and stared directly into the camera. He began to speak, not as a President, but as a fellow citizen._ "…Now that we share this secret…it will be to our benefit that we do remain calm. This was always a heavy burden to bear. It's one that I never wished for you to carry. Our country was founded upon the principles of truth, justice, and liberty. Principles that we abandoned and chose to ignore by keeping our secrets. We failed you… _I failed you_. We now face an uncertain future…but let us not forget that we face it together. If there is one thing I can promise you…it's one of truth. From this moment forth, never again will the United States government keep secrets from the people who are the very ones who made this country, this Republic, possible to this day. I understand if you cannot accept my vow right away or if you doubt my genuine sincerity. I don't blame you. I will however give you a gift. By decree of the President, I am signing a Presidential order to release all case files pertaining to past and present alien related activity on our publicly accessible, government database. They aren't conspiracy theories anymore. For the sake of everyone's welfare, I request that you remain indoors and do your best to remain calm. If you have a radio, keep it close by. We will update you by the hour. May God be with you," _The President stood with a sad smile and made a fleeting hand gesture for the cameraman to shut off his camera._

 _Rayne and the others remained still and silent for about fifteen seconds before everyone exploded from where they were either sitting or standing and began to push, shove, and shout as they scrambled to make harried phone calls or to return to their rooms—most likely to pack. She noticed a few classmates behind her in the hallway who were more excited than afraid. They were already geeking and nerding out as they talked about virtually everything in relation to the Transformers, including specifics about each character._

 _Rayne wondered herself, which of the Transformers actually existed besides the ones they glimpsed in that video footage._

 _Rayne maintained the semblance of perfect calm as she walked casually back up to the third floor of her dormitory and unlocked the door to her assigned room. She always kept a level head in an emergency. Her roommate, Joy, looked more terrified than excited and was shoving random things into a suitcase, leaving most of her belongings behind. She looked up at her for a moment and briefly paused._

" _I'm sorry Rayne. I can't stay."_

" _Why not? Didn't you hear what the President said?"_

" _My folks need me, I'm sorry. Good luck Rayne…it was nice knowing you."_

" _You too, Joy. Be safe."_

 _Then like a flash of lightning her roommate was out of the door, joining dozens of other residents outside where many scrambled to cars, others to buses, and the rest tried to hail the few taxis left within their small town. The campus was located in southeast Kentucky._

 _Which was a problem… because Rayne's home was in northern Wisconsin._

 _How on Earth was she supposed to get there?! Now that the building was nearly deserted, she returned to the lounge where the reporter was still keeping everyone updated on current events. The blood in Raine's body froze at both the images being shown on screen and when she heard the finality in the reporter's next statement._

"…at this point, we've been told that all air traffic and rail lines have been suspended until further notice…" _the reporter paused when another man appeared within the camera's field of vision and whispered something in her ear. He briskly walked away. The reporter rubbed her temple as though she had a headache and didn't bother hiding her true emotions, professionalism be damned in her opinion from the look of things._ "…I just received word that ALL public modes of transportation are being terminated at this time. Please stand by."

 _Rayne stared at the "Stand By" image with profound disbelief. How was she supposed to get home?!_

 _With a growl she turned her back on the T.V. and took about two steps before a chilling voice brought her to a screeching halt. She felt a cold chill race down her spine and turned back around with wide eyes to meet the face of none other than Megatron._

" **Greetings again, Earthlings. I have spoken with your world leaders. A bargain must be struck accordingly. Optimus Prime and his Autobots are to be banished from planet Earth immediately…** _ **and forever…"**_ _Megatron growled._

 _Rayne glared daggers at him even though he couldn't see her through the television screen._

"… _ **once they are gone, we will stay only long enough to refuel and repair our damaged ship. Then we will return to our own world after we've collected enough of your planet's resources to resume interstellar travel…**_ _"_

" _ **LIAR!**_ _" Rayne snarled with an angry shout as she slammed a fist, down on a nearby table-top._

"… _ **You humans have one hour. If one Autobot is still left here by then, we will destroy your cities. I trust you will make the right choice.**_ _"_

 _-End Flashback—_

Rayne was far too tired now to keep ruminating over the past. While she delved deeper into sleep, she couldn't stop her hopeful longing…that when the next day dawned, all of this would have just been nothing more than a terrible dream.

Maybe for once, she would dream of freedom…

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

Author's Note: Well I know everything is really dark and dismal right now but I promise it will get lighter in the future. After all, this is most likely what it would sort of be like if the Decepticons ruled the world. Before anyone asks… Yes, the Autobots will return to the story eventually. Can't say when cause' that would ruin the surprise. ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own H.G. Well's War of the Worlds, Mocha Jo's, YouTube, CNN, Fox News, or anything else related to _our_ reality lol. Rayne Payton and this horrible alternate universe I created are mine.

The main idea I do not own though. Obviously there was that one episode in Transformers G1 when Spike, Carly, Chip, and Sparkplug (all humans) were Decepticon slaves after the Autobots got banished. And in Transformers "Dark of the Moon" it was also suggested after the Autobots were banished and thought to have been destroyed, that the Decepticons were going to rule Earth and enslave the human race. Thanks for reading! Please review! :D


	3. The Life of a Slave

Author's Note: I'm sorry that the story is starting off slow but I had to paint a background for everyone in order to really get the plot going. I can tell you that there are at least 4 main characters that everyone should know well from the TF fandom in this chapter, one of which is an Autobot! :D

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

 _-0003 Years A.B. (After Banishment)-_

 _2:30 A.M._

 _Rayne Payton always had the same nightmares. There were always bad guys chasing her and trying to kill her. Only this time, this one was different._

 _It began like these dreams always did._

 _ **Running.**_

 _She was running away from dark, evil voices. Shadowy figures soon emerged but remained cloaked in darkness. They pursued her. Then all of that faded away when she walked through a door and closed it. She turned around to see that she was back in her old home. Rayne had no conscious memory within the dreamscape about the past events that occurred in the waking world. As a result, her heart confusedly felt a pang of grief and longing. It felt as though she were missing something or someone terribly. She couldn't understand why…_

 _Her mother was in the kitchen washing dishes by hand and drying them off with a towel. Strangely enough though, her dad, two brothers, and sister weren't home._

" _Hi mom! I've missed you!" Rayne went and hugged her. She could smell her perfume. It was a simple, flowery fragrance and brought her a sense of solace. Her mother returned her embrace with a soft, kind smile._

" _I've missed you too, sweetheart. Don't you have somewhere to be? Your friends called and they want you to meet them."_

 _Rayne was confused. Friends? What friends? She knew she had a few but the ones she used to hang out with, hardly called her while she was home. They usually made plans while they were out._

" _Okay, I'll go get ready!"_

 _Rayne bounded up the stairwell two at a time and went straight to the bathroom. She leaned down to the facet and splashed cold water on her face. It was right after she grabbed a nearby washcloth and dried herself off that she noticed something super freaky._

 _She screamed, stumbling backwards and nearly fell down the stairs. She recovered herself and crept forward to view her reflection in the mirror._

 _Her eyes…_

 _Her eyes were_ _ **glowing**_ _. Rather than the soft, light brown that they usually were… They were a brilliant, vibrant, sky blue._ _ **Just like the Autobots**_ _…_

 _After examining herself for the next few minutes, she finally ran back down the stairs and asked her mother if their family had any history of optical mutation. Her mother shook her head. Rayne looked outside the kitchen window above the sink and saw government agents with a white, unmarked, windowless van. They were wearing hazmat suits._

 _They were coming for her! They probably found out about her glowing blue eyes and wanted to experiment on her! Rayne bolted for the backdoor and ran out into the dark night. There were two other humans there…random movie actors, a teenage boy and a teenage girl, that tried to stop her panicked flight but she shoved right passed them. She stumbled out into the middle of an open field and fell to the ground in exhaustion. She rolled over on her back and gazed up at the starry night sky above and appreciated the peaceful beauty of it all. Star gazing always brought her a special kind of peace and serenity._

 _Then the agony hit her. It was an agony unlike any that she'd ever known before. It grew stronger in intensity and before long, she couldn't hold back her screams as it engulfed her entirely, from head to toe. She looked down at her human body and vaguely saw through blurry eyes that she was TRANSFORMING into a Cybertronian one. It didn't seem physically possible! She screamed and begged for the torment to end._

 _She wanted to die._

 _Then above her, Optimus Prime appeared. Rayne's vision finally cleared. He gazed down on her with what appeared to be pity and deep affection. He offered her a small cube of liquid blue energon. Optimus said something remarkably profound._

" _This will help make the transition easier."_

 _Now that Rayne was no longer human but had become a small, Cybertronian child…she was able to take the energon cube and drank it right out of the container._

 _His voice was amazing. It was a deep baritone, filled with love, and compassion. His voice sounded soft and authoritative…gentle but firm._

 _He gave her a small, sad smile and slowly began to extend his hand._

 _When his rumbling voice returned, she looked back up to meet his brilliant blue optics._

" _Come back to us, little one. It's time for you to remember-"_

 _His face turned grim and sorrowfully apologetic. Rayne followed his movements with wary eyes until his large hand rested upon her much smaller chest, directly over where she knew her spark would be._

" _-but it's going to hurt..." he admitted softly._

 _Rayne flinched and released a pitiful whimper as though waiting for that terrible pain to return from earlier. Rather than agony, a warmth seemed to flow from his hand and enveloped her spark with warmth and a strangely familiar love. She began to sway and felt herself falling as a bright, blinding, white light filled her vision._

Rayne jolted and sat up as a ringing bell, like an old school fire alarm, woke all of the human slaves in the camp. Tired as she was, she thought at first that it was the fire alarm in her old dormitory. She would have to wake up her roommate since she was a very heavy sleeper. That girl could sleep through _anything_. But once Rayne cracked her bleary eyes open… she fought back tears.

 _So…their hopeless reality remained._

Rayne despite herself, couldn't help but wonder sometimes if she was really in some sort of coma lying perfectly safe in a hospital…and that all of this…this nightmare around her, was the result of some terrible head injury.

…but no. She along with everyone else were still trapped…still enslaved.

 _ **This was real.**_

Then she remembered the incredible dream she had. It wasn't the first time that she'd dreamt something like this. These dreams had been occurring for the past three months and were only now increasing in frequency and intensity. For reasons unknown to her, she'd been having the same dream concerning her reflection with the glowing blue eyes—apart from the one last night when Optimus appeared—and reasoned that the cause for them, served to merely calm her often tumultuous mind, by bringing her deepest, wishful, fantasies to life. What other purpose could they serve?

Ignoring everyone around her for a moment, she brought one hand and placed it over the area that Optimus Prime had touched. Almost immediately, a soft, warm, fuzzy pulse seemed to answer in response. That dream seemed so real…when he touched her in the dream…it almost felt like the two of them were connected somehow. That was impossible. Wasn't it?

Rayne returned to the present and quickly pulled on her jumpsuit—which was in fact an old military flight suit—and made sure that her first-aid cross in the form of a white arm band was secured around her left bicep. Then she pulled on her special steel-toed boots and strapped on her shin, knee, and elbow guards before making her way out of the barracks. Those items were amazingly enough, in brand new condition. They were most likely found within an abandoned S.W.A.T. van. She was supplied with 'protective gear' in order to rescue other slaves caught in frequent cave-ins or who fell into newly formed sinkholes.

She cursed and had to turn around and run back in when she realized she forgot her helmet and tactical vest. They were sitting beneath her cot. She pulled first the vest and then the helmet on over her head with a grunt. Her tactical vest was mainly used for carrying supplies. There was a penlight, a mini first-aid responder kit used by paramedics, scissors, and bandages.

It was all standard issue nowadays. All medics were required to wear them since skilled professionals such as herself were dwindling due to many 'accidents'…most of them caused when medics were forced by their overbearing masters to risk life and limb to rescue injured workers...or at least the workers that the Decepticons deemed worthy enough to save. They were not provided with stretchers, so medics had to be strong enough to fireman's-carry, the injured away from the danger zone and all the way to the healing wing. Fortunately for Rayne, she was strong and fit enough to perform her duties. Adrenaline helped a great deal. So did the sobering truth that many prisoners lost a great deal of weight within the last three years…at least, those that still survived since that time anyway.

There was a doctor currently stationed at Epsilon-41 with her. His name was Erikson. He was nearing his 55th birthday which made him one of the senior members of the slave camp. Erikson acted as the chief medical officer since he was the closest thing to a surgeon and a pharmacist that they'd had the good fortune of having. Doctors did not wear the protective gear that was required of medics. She was like search and rescue now that she really thought about it. Rayne did assist the good doctor when she wasn't called out for an emergency though.

If any medic or doctor defied their master by attempting to save lives that were not on the 'repair' or 'revive' list…they were severely beaten, usually by the Decepticon's very solid, human-looking hologram and were denied medical care and rations for a week. If they were caught trying to heal their own wounds without permission… they were permanently terminated.

A termination didn't involve instant death. It was the next worst thing. They were forced to train a new slave and once the slave had their new job mastered, the doctor was demoted to a general slave laborer and sent to the mines. If they survived a lengthy amount of time…they were considered candidates for reinstatement of their former duties. That rarely happened though. It was a virtual death sentence. Miners had to be constantly replaced. Especially in the coal mines. Many people developed black lung within the first six months. Face masks and oxygen tanks were limited and given to the slaves who supposedly 'earned' them.

Rayne Payton finished strapping on and securing her vest and double checked her travel-size, supply cache. Her thoughts continued to wander…

She paused and traced her right index finger over the handle of the sheathed pair of scissors poking out from one of her vest's pockets. It was amazing that the Decepticons entrusted medical staff with these. They could be easily used to create self-inflicted wounds and maybe even death if one was desperate enough. Rayne found out years ago, that she was literally, incapable of committing suicide. Even if she completely lost the will to live. She felt something within her soul…like an ancient vow she made…that she would never give up on life, no matter how bleak her circumstances were or how badly she felt.

Now, she had a good reason to face another day. She had the chance to fix and heal the broken. It brought back a miniscule measure of light and hope after being surrounded by constant suffering and death.

Rayne let out a sigh as she knocked a fist gently against her fancy headwear to ensure that it was secure. Strangely enough, it was a motorcycle helmet. Painted with a red and white first-aid cross. The emblem was small but large enough to be seen. It was located just above the visor, where her forehead would be. The Decepticons upgraded the ordinary visors into high tech scanning equipment. Once she put it on and her slave collar was activated and linked with some sort of microchip, an internal heads up display appeared and allowed her to scan and identify wounds as well as monitor a patient's vital stats. It also had night-vision, an oxygen filter, and what the Cybertronians called 'com-channels'. Unsurprising since communication was necessary when accidents happened in the camp.

Rayne though, for the life of her…still couldn't understand why Megatron would go through so much trouble to ensure that slaves received decent medical care. Wasn't his philosophy that only the strong survive? So why give the medics highly advanced tech in order to save other slaves' lives? Then again…maybe that was because the human race was becoming more of an endangered species with each passing day. Many people were worked beyond their limits. Dehydration, starvation, disease, med-supply shortages, exhaustion, heat-stroke, blood loss, and severe injuries that required long-term recovery were the main causes of death, just to name a few. She hated coming across people that had to be classified as 'long-term recovery'…because that label was yet another death warrant. If a slave couldn't work. That slave was considered to have outlived their usefulness. Food and highly coveted medical supplies could not be wasted on them…per Decepticon policy.

As it turned out, humans were assigned to different camps all around the globe. Epsilon-41 was smaller than most others and only harbored about 1,200 people, most of them men.

Out of the three years of being trapped in slavery, Rayne Payton had been assigned to seven different camps. Three of the seven shut down after all resources within those areas had been completely extracted.

Everyone was assigned with permanent 'careers' while 'employed' within the slave camps. All humans were recognized according to class. Most humans they used for general, manual labor—like mining coal, refining crude oil, and from collecting the energy harvested from steam, water, and wind-mills. They were classified as 'GSL's…or better known as 'General Slave Laborers'. Those were the third-class humans.

Slaves second-class or (SSC's) were the ones that had actual skill in a general trade. To keep the humans fed and populated, second-class slaves tended and butchered the animals and grew small fields of produce. There were a few factories that many humans had to work in, namely to manufacture medical supplies, uniforms, tools, seasonal clothing, shelters (namely military tents), purified water, cots, and whatever else the Decepticons deemed were necessary to keep Megatron's slaves functional.

It was only a month ago that the Decepticons informed them that Megatron added yet another 'special' category to his workforce. Now it was required for some women to produce new slaves in order to ensure the continuation of mankind. Rayne heard rumors that the Decepticons had taken a number of humans within the past year and scientifically experimented on them in the hopes of perfecting the human genome. Rather than being forced to pair with a mate that was not of their own choosing, the female humans were implanted with a genetically enhanced embryo. Supposedly this new generation of humans were going to be far stronger, more intelligent, would live longer, and would not contain active genetic markers that would under natural circumstances cause disease. Those women were sent to their own slave camp where they would raise their children to be obedient, unquestioning, subservient, perfectly molded, Decepticon workers.

 _Those poor souls._

Rayne shuddered at the thought and thanked her lucky stars that she was valued more as a medic than as a future, 'mother'. She made a face at that thought.

 _Yuck._

At least they would have specialized medical professionals to oversee their care. Rumors had already begun to circulate that the Decepticons already employed some of them.

Then there were the lucky few. Slaves first-class or (SFC's). Rayne Payton was currently one of them. They were the most valued out of everyone, simply because the entire slave labor force would fall apart without them. SFC's included doctors, medics, mechanics, welders, undertakers, cooks, gladiators, and slave-mentors. The slave mentors were becoming rather obsolete now that the entire human race had reached their three year internment mark. First-class slaves were not treated as harshly by the Decepticons like the other humans. That oftentimes incited hot-tempered jealousy within the lower classes.

The gladiators were a different story though…

Their sole purpose was to entertain Megatron and his inner circle. Many of the Gladiators were former military soldiers that tried to defend Earth. The leader of the Decepticons seemed to have a twisted code of honor…because rather than killing them outright, he gave them the opportunity to die a warrior's death. The humans had to fight each other and participate in multiple war games. There were ancient Rome type matches, WWII matches, Navy battles, and Black-Ops missions…all of them lethal. Gladiators ranged between the ages of 17 to 45. There was one rule that Gladiators had to follow.

 _ **Never show any mercy.**_

Rayne overheard two of the Decepticon slave-drivers talking months before she was sent to Epsilon-41. The Gladiators were incapable of committing suicide due to some sort of mind-control chip inside their brains. The Decepticons only activated them if the Gladiator became uncooperative or attempted to terminate themselves.

While Rayne discreetly listened, she felt sorrow as they regaled a very tragic, chilling story. A forty-three year old man was forced to combat and kill his nineteen-year-old son, ancient Rome style. They had swords, shields, and spears. The father refused to kill his child of his own free will and thereby challenged the Decepticon leader's authority. Megatron attempted to employ the use of the control chip… but the human's will was strong. Stronger than any other that they had ever come across. So Soundwave used his telepathic capabilities and influenced the man's mind by creating an illusion. Under the staggering influence of both the chip and Soundwave's power, the human didn't stand a chance. The father became the victor and had no memory of what happened—until three hours later when he re-entered the arena to see the slain body of his son. After that, something within the man snapped. He quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the top three Gladiatorial champions and still retained that title.

Rayne internally growled with bitter contempt when she thought of the last and the least popular class of slaves…

 _ **The Inquisitors.**_

They were the humans who betrayed their fellow man by reporting suspicious or rebellious activity. If they successfully exposed a slave and found them to be guilty, they were well rewarded, generally with extra food rations or time off from work. All in all…the Inquisitors were _traitors_.

That always made her blood boil.

She encountered one of them once. The end result of the events that transpired was most gratifying. Her punishment had been well worth it.

 _-Flashback—_

 _(60 days before camp transfer to Epsilon-41)_

 _She had just finished wrapping a bandage roll around a teenager's torso. He had been hit and knocked over by a runaway supply cart that was hauling sheet metal._

" _There now, you're all set."_

" _Thank you," he responded with a weak smile. He was no doubt fearing for his life. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Her voice echoed out through her helmet's speaker so that she was audibly heard._

" _Don't worry. You just need a good night's rest. You only have a mild sprain. Just be careful when you're working and you'll be fine."_

 _One of the Decepticons, named Ramjet, lumbered over and towered above them._

" _ **Status report."**_

" _Sir, this one requires one day of rest. He will be fit for duty tomorrow. He only sustained minor damage." Rayne responded smoothly._

 _Over time she had taken to using Cybertronian phrases to describe things to make her diagnosis clearer. Thanks to her high ranking status, sometimes she got away with calling the Decepticons "Sir" rather than "Master"…though it really did depend on which Decepticon she was dealing with. Ramjet was one of the Cons who seemed to be a little more lax and didn't seem to mind her form of address as much. He nodded his head in silent understanding and made a 'shooing' motion. The teenage boy sighed with relief when Ramjet gave him leave to return to the slaves' barracks._

 _Rayne had to take him to the Decepticon quartermaster to have his slave collar removed for the day and to have his shackles reissued. After he was taken care of, she began walking in the direction of the med-tent but was stopped when she heard the angry roar of one of the Decepticons. He had been conversing with one of the Inquisitors and seconds later, he turned fiery red optics on her and then stalked towards the tent where the teenage boy was resting._

 _The Con lumbered over, seething with rage._

" _ **IS IT TRUE?!"**_

" _Sir?"_

 _Rayne was roughly swatted aside by the Decepticon and as a result was sent flying a good three meters. It felt like a wrecking ball had bowled her over. Her breath was knocked from her lungs from the initial impact. Thankfully the thick layer of molded, carbon-fiber within her padded vest prevented serious injury._

" _ **You will address me as 'Master'!"**_

 _She rose to her feet with a snarl and slipped into a rather bold, fighting stance, uncaring of the consequences. When she spoke, her voice was dripping with blatant disrespect._

" _Alright…_ _ **master**_ _…what is this about?!"_

 _The Decepticon snarled at her but didn't bother administering any form of physical abuse for her insolence. He gestured to the man standing next to his pedes._

" _ **This Inquisitor claims that the fleshling you just cared for, was FAKING his injuries!"**_

 _Rayne clenched her gloved hands into fists, causing the leather lining to creak in barely contained fury._

" _Is that so?" she responded coldly as she turned her head to regard the sniveling cretin._

 _The man by that point was practically hiding behind the Con's left foot and appeared to be growing rather nervous at Rayne's hidden death glare. Fortunately, that was a perk to these helmets. None of the other slaves could see her expressions due to the darkly tinted visors._

" _I was there! He pretended to fall down…that cart never hit him!" the human lackey insisted with wide-eyes._

 _The Decepticon snarled and reached one hand through the tent and grabbed the wounded boy she recently patched up by one leg. He began to scream but then started choking as he hung upside down. It sounded like he was drowning. The Decepticon pulled the teen out and Rayne was both horrified and then her ire mounted to volcanic exploding levels._

" _HE'S A LIAR!" she pointed at the nark as she stared the Con straight in the face. "You want proof that the boy is really injured?!_ _ **There you have it,"**_ _she hissed with contempt. "You aggravated his injury when you grabbed him. Now_ _ **SET HIM DOWN**_ _!" Rayne all but screamed. The Decepticon growled deeply but complied._

 _He and the Inquisitor watched as Rayne pulled out a long needle with a suction tube. The boy now had a collapsed lung and from the sound of it, blood was starting to fill it. She let loose a string of profanities when she realized that one of his ribs had actually fractured. Rayne knew that the only way she would be able to save his life…was with the Decepticon's help. She moved her head up to look at the Con and lightly tapped a button on the right side of her helmet. She opened up a private com-channel with the slave driver. She was loathed to say it but she knew she had to…_

 _::: Master…if you want a healthy slave fit for work, I need your help:::_

 _The Decepticon responded with a simple grunt in acknowledgment._

 _::: I need you to hold his arms down. He's going to fight me and attempt to prevent me from performing this rather painful procedure:::_

 _She tilted her head up and caught the Decepticon's gaze and was relieved to see that he was no longer enraged and out for blood. The Con did as she requested and used two fingers to pin the boy in place while Rayne took off her gloves and disinfected them._

 _She looked down at the gasping teen and spoke softly._

" _I'm not going to lie. This is going to hurt…A LOT."_

 _With those words, Rayne raised the needle above her head, grasping the large syringe tightly in both hands, and then quickly brought it down. It pierced through the teen's chest and into his lung. Rayne was so thankful that he wasn't able to scream. The look of agony on his face, did make her cringe though. She suctioned out the blood and finished patching the teen up._ _ **Again**_ _._

 _Rayne wiped her hands off on a disinfectant soaked rag minutes later. Then she put on her black, lightly armored, carbon-fibered gloves and flexed her hands repeatedly into fists. Once the boy was stable and she helped him limp back to his cot, she stormed angrily out to confront the man who had nearly gotten the boy killed. She took a moment to send the Con a report concerning the teen through her HUD, requesting that the boy be allowed a four day grace period for rest and recovery. It would have been a_ _single_ _day had he not suffered this recent injury, no thanks in part to the scum outside. A response pinged back. She was more than pleased to see that her request was approved._

 _Now where was she? Oh yes. Time to rid them of that filth…_

 _She walked directly up to the Inquisitor and without any warning, punched him hard in the face, breaking his nose. Rayne wasn't finished with him yet though. It was amazing that the Decepticon didn't intervene. He just stood there and watched. Rayne hauled the man up to his feet with amazing strength, spun him around, and held him in a head-lock. She then reared back a fist, and delivered a hard punch to the right side of his ribcage in an upward angle, hitting the liver with enough force to send the man crashing to the ground in a heap of misery as his vagus nerve was struck. She watched with satisfaction as he writhed in agony._

" _You call yourself a man?! You are no man…you have to be the_ _ **dirtiest rat**_ _I've ever had the misfortune of seeing!"_

 _Still blinded with rage, Rayne let loose a shriek and began to leap on him again…after all, it was nearly his fault that her patient—that innocent boy—was almost brutally killed by a Decepticon. But before she could pounce on him, she was snatched off of the ground and was left dangling mid-air, still snarling, kicking, and punching. The Decepticon had the back of her vest pinched within one thumb and an index finger. Her violent motions ceased when she realized what was happening and crossed her arms with a feral growl. She felt like a kitten, being held by the scruff… it was humiliating._

 _The Decepticon guffawed before setting her back down and opened a private channel with her._

 _:::_ _ **The worm was a liar as you decreed. Now he has paid the price. Unfortunately for you, you must bear a penalty as well. You know the rules. No human is to assault another, regardless of intent or illusion of justification**_ _:::_

 _He set her down and that's when she fell to her knees and screamed as a high pitch frequency was triggered within her helmet. It was one that only she could hear…and she was powerless to block it out. If she removed her headgear while her slave collar was activated, it would trigger a kill switch. She would become a headless corpse within three seconds._

 _At least when her helmet was activated, she was not subjected to the electrifying jolts that the slave collar issued since it would short-circuit her visor's internal HUD and fry the operating systems. It was extremely inconvenient for the Decepticons to go through the arduous task of repairing it._

 _Thankfully, her audial punishment didn't last long. Surprisingly, Ramjet came to her rescue. He had apparently watched the entire spectacle from afar._

" _Leave the medic be, Reflector. She did her job. She patched up the injured human. The human worm was exposed as a liar. That's all that matters."_

 _Reflector_ _was obviously not happy about it but he listened to Ramjet all the same. Rayne knew she shouldn't have felt satisfaction when the Cons grabbed the man who attempted murder-there was really no other way to describe it-and hauled him off. Most likely to be executed for his crime. It was highly frowned upon for slaves to kill other slaves…or to get one of their masters to kill an innocent slave who was still fit and healthy enough to work for an extended number of years._

 _That was the first and most likely the last time…that a Con would ever dare to come to her defense._

 _-End flashback-_

Rayne growled softly to herself and shook her head in annoyance.

 _Why am I thinking so much? It's too damn early to think this much…_

Most of the humans struggled to stifle yawns. It was five in the morning and the sun wouldn't be appearing on the horizon for at least another half-hour. There was a slight chill in the air and Rayne rubbed her arms to get some circulation going. Just because she wore a long-sleeved jumpsuit…that didn't make her impervious to cold.

Winter was coming. That's when everything went from bad to worse. Hyperthermia and pneumonia were going to be the main ailments of the season. Since their camp was located in northern Tennessee, they didn't have to worry as much about frostbite like the northern states.

Each human lined up single file and walked next to a table to pick up their morning rations: namely, a protein bar and a bottle of water and wasted no time in scarfing them down. They were supplied with food and water three times a day. Once early in the morning, then at mid-day, and again just before their designated lights' out, hour. Just because they were given food three times a day…didn't mean that they got much of it. GSL's were given just enough nutrients and protein to keep them healthy enough to work another 18 hour day. Only SFCs' were permitted extra on some occasions.

The rare opportunities that Rayne had been offered to accept extra rations, she always refused. Why should she receive better treatment than that of the other slaves? Rank shouldn't matter, not in her eyes. Her humility and compassion, unbeknownst to her, earned her a great degree of respect from her fellow men. There were many times she was tempted to take the extra food and give them to someone else who was in desperate need. Rayne knew that to perform such a deed would virtually be placing her head on the chopping block, so to speak.

After three years, she still couldn't bring herself to come to terms with their changed reality. Rayne couldn't help but remember her former slave site. That one had been filled with its own horrors, both great and small. The only reason why she had been transferred to Epsilon-41, was because they lost their human paramedic. There had been a mining accident. The former medic was killed when the ceiling caved in while he was trying to pull a wounded man from a collapsed shaft.

Before her transfer, Rayne Payton had shadowed the doctor there and learned all of the skills of the trade. She became a decent medic herself and her skill did not go unnoticed by the Decepticon slave masters. So they sent her to Epsilon-41 to fill the former paramedic's vacant position. Thankfully she was a quick learner…

" **Line up slaves! You know the drill!** " Shockdrop roughly commanded as he walked around the small gathering of humans. Rather than forcing Epsilon-41's entire slave population to attend one massive assembly, they divided them all up into four groups and the other Decepticons in the camp were assigned to deal with them.

A smaller Decepticon, a minibot from the looks of him, held a metal box in his hand nearby.

Everyone stood side-by-side at attention. Everyone had to wear metal shackles on their wrists and ankles. A small, silver length of titanium chain linked them together. They were designed specifically by the Decepticons. The shackles were only used in the evening while they slept, to prevent a slave from escaping. That's how those two unfortunate souls were captured the other night. Those bonds set off that siren when they left the designated 'recharge boundary line' that encompassed the slaves' sleeping quarters.

Their cuffs were thick and completely circular. A glowing blue light shone through a line that encircled the outer casing. It allowed their slave masters to confirm that their bonds were still functional…and with the neck collars, it was a power source that issued their 'punishments'.

A punishment usually involved a highly painful electric shock. It ripped through the human body's nervous system, temporarily incapacitating them. Needless to say, it was agonizing. Rayne had yet to meet someone who could hold back a scream. She had been on the receiving end of such punishments many times her first year. It was a wonder that they didn't just kill her for her constant insolence.

It baffled her later when she learned that the Decepticons made bets on how long she could endure the electric shock treatment, since it was the first time they had seen a human survive as long as she had. Most slaves that endured constant punishments, eventually succumbed to death within the first six months. It was usually due to heart failure.

So she was an enigma to the Decepticons. She must have amused them. Otherwise she would currently be dead. Rayne figured maybe she lasted as long as she had due to her young age. Her heart so far could handle the strain. Other humans that were older than her…couldn't.

She frowned as she glanced down at her shackles and closed her eyes for a moment. They were about to trade their wrist and ankle cuffs for neck collars. What was so terrible about the collars besides still maintaining the ability to administer electric shocks…they could freaking _**explode**_. They only exploded if a human made it over or under the electric fence. Rayne had never seen it happen personally but she'd heard horror stories from other people.

Shockdrop walked in front of them and used a scanner to deactivate their shackles. They fell to the ground with heavy 'thumps' and for just a moment…everyone got to experience the sensation of what freedom used to feel like.

…and then came the damn collars.

The minibot was the one who walked down the line to fasten and activate the slave collars. Rayne was the last one in line. She was thankful that the visor was tinted so that she could glare daggers of death upon their alien overlords without fear of retribution. Every single time the collar was locked in place she had to bite back a snarl. There was a small cord that connected the back of the collar to the base of the helmet where a microchip was inserted inside a small power slot. The HUD immediately flared to life. It reminded her a lot of _'Ironman's'_ heads up display from the movies. It was a miracle that after five months of wearing this damn thing, that her vision wasn't damaged or irreparably impaired.

Shockdrop began to speak. He was heard clearly through her audio filter. There were so many days that she wished she had a mute button…

" **We have two new additions to our work site. They're going to be with us for quite some time. Obey them and you won't suffer."**

 _Wow…that was short, sweet, and to the point._

He moved as though to walk away but turned back around and spoke as though in afterthought.

" **You will individually receive a one-on-one mental evaluation with my superior officer. Resist him and you will be subjected to an agony unlike any other you've ever known, of that I can promise you…"** he growled in warning.

He didn't elaborate any further and the 'new additions' had yet to appear.

 _Well that was vague…_

They were ordered to stand at attention and were not to move while Shockdrop lumbered away out of sight. Soon the ground began to slightly quake from the heavy footfalls of another mech. This one sounded larger. Then at last, he rounded a corner and revealed himself. He stood before the assembly and remained silent. Rayne's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

 _HOLY SHIT!_ _ **IT'S**_ _ **SOUNDWAVE**_ _!_

It almost seemed as though her mental scream had been heard because it did elicit a very creepy response. She felt the urge to run away when he turned his head to look directly at her. It felt like he was boring his red optics straight through her helmet. Before she could stop herself, her thoughts began to run rampant.

 _Wow, he looks a lot like his G1 counterpart. He has the facemask and everything. Only this Soundwave looks far cooler. He looks like a total badass!_

Feeling highly uncomfortable and quite paranoid, she surveyed the other humans around her and noticed that none of them seemed to register any form of recognition.

 _Am I the only one who knows who he is?!_

Rayne didn't realize she had taken one step out of line in her dazed amazement until she was pulled back in place by one of her comrades.

Moments later, Shockdrop returned but he was not alone. Rayne had yet another internal outcry of disbelief.

 _HOLY CRAP!_ _ **RUMBLE**_ _?!_

That was when Rayne _HEARD_ an unmistakable voice within her head. It was deep…but not nearly as dark or as sinister as she expected…if anything, it sounded highly amused.

 _ **/No. He is FRENZY/**_

That was odd. Shouldn't he be super pissed that she didn't mentally call them 'Master'? Rayne resisted the urge to cross her arms as she frowned. Reading her mind like this…was _not fair_. Her thoughts were private and her mind was the one refuge she could retreat to whenever she needed to silently and mentally vent. It was the one place where the Decepticons couldn't torture, dominate, or punish her for the many traitorous words and daydreams that she often had.

Rayne formed a fist and knocked her knuckles against the side of her helmet as though testing to see if her com-channel had shorted out and half wondered if she'd simply imagined it. Keeping her eyes set upon Soundwave, still highly skeptical that she'd heard his voice at all…though she knew she undoubtedly had…reached both hands up and prepared to pull off her helmet. That's when she detected a strange shift in Soundwave's demeanor and she paused mid-motion.

He had taken one step forward in her direction and partially raised his arm. His fingers imperceptibly twitched as though tempted to fully outstretch his hand towards her.

Rayne's eyes widened considerably when the full implication of what she had nearly done hit her like a ton of bricks.

She couldn't pull her helmet off to examine it… _or the collar would explode_.

Oh yeah. She forgot about that little detail.

 _Soundwave was trying to warn me…_

Rayne attempted to open a com-channel with him but discovered that she did not yet have his frequency. She used hand signals that the Decepticons taught her to use, to silently let him know that she was trying to com him but couldn't.

Now her unorthodox behavior was starting to draw unwanted attention, as the other human slaves gawked at her. Some gave her frowns, glares, and expressions of profound confusion.

 _Wonderful. Just wonderful._

She growled and slammed a palm against her helmeted forehead and stared down at the ground in frustration. This was not how she wanted to start her day!

 _Why couldn't things just be simple?_

It took two minutes for Rayne to realize that everyone around her had been dismissed. A dark shadow was cast over her and she looked up to see Shockdrop's glowering sneer. He growled, obviously in a foul mood.

" **What are you doing still standing around?! I gave the order minutes ago for all slaves to return to work. Just because you are one of my SFC's, doesn't mean you are above the rules!** _ **This should remind you of your place!**_ " He reared a hand back as though he was about to back-hand her.

Rayne flinched and turned her head away. Her body tensed, mentally preparing herself for the fall-out of such an action. To him, slapping her would be like swatting a fly. To Rayne…it was like getting hit by a speeding freight train.

She turned her head back around when she saw movement beyond her peripheral vision that was not of the slave driver's making. She allowed herself to relax when Soundwave stopped Shockdrop's slap mid-motion by grabbing his wrist from behind. That was when Rayne heard his voice…his _real_ voice. It was a bit different from his mental one but still retained many of the same characteristics.

" **Do not harm this human."**

Huh. It wasn't quite like the G1 cartoons. He still had the same electronic tone, just like the rest of the Cybertronians. His voice was deep, smooth, and authoritative. Emotion was nearly devoid from his tone… although he did still retain minute inflections within his speech pattern that might suggest what he could possibly be feeling. He was very difficult to read. Rayne gave up after the first twenty seconds.

What Soundwave said next, froze the blood in her veins and inspired pure, heart stopping fear.

" **She is the first one I will be psychologically evaluating.** **The medic comes with** _ **me**_ …"

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

Author's Note: *Gasp*-What do you think Soundwave meant by 'psychological evaluation'? First person to get it right, gets an energon pie! :D

Also, I'm sorry to say it might take a while to update another chapter because I start my new job tomorrow. :/ I made this chapter extra long though! Thanks for reading and please review!


	4. What's Been Lost is Found

Author's Note: At long last, the Autobots are making an appearance in the story! :D I want to thank those of you, who have reviewed and added the story to alerts and favorites!

(Also the pronunciation of Aethelgythe is "A-thee-el-gith"—translating to 'Noble One' in Cybertronian. I invented it so the name is mine and doesn't really pertain to any known Earth language. Although I researched the name "Optimus". I think in Latin it means "Noble Leader"…which is what gave me the idea, to give his daughter a similar name meaning.

* * *

 _ **/Indicates telepathic communication/**_

 _Plain italics indicates personal mental thought_

 _:::This is com-channel speech:::_

I originally used the date 0003 to indicate 3 years after the Autobot's banishment since the characters no longer count forwards from the year 2017—their whole calendar changed since the Autobots were kicked off planet. I might change it to numerically indicate days, months, and years. The months don't necessarily reflect the actual month of the year, it could I suppose…It's completely up to you. I was just counting time from the moment the Bots were banished up until the present.

It will appear as this example: 0003-4.5 A.B. The number 3 = years, the number 4 = months, and the .5 = days. Hopefully this isn't too confusing!

Cybertronian Time Units:

Astro-Second = 2 minutes

Astro-Minute = 10 minutes

Nano-cycle = 120 minutes (2 Hours)

Astro-cycle = 100 years

Deca-cycle = 1,000 years

Mega-cycle = 10,000 years

Cosmo-cycle = 1,000,000 years

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3**

\- 0003-10.9 A.B. –

Optimus Prime dreamt of her again…

His daughter. The child he fought so hard to save…but couldn't. Megatron killed her in an act of cruel savagery. His arch nemesis swore eons before his daughter's birth- that he would wipe out the lineage of the Primes forever. Optimus had been so sure that he and the Autobots would always protect her. His spark ached…he could still see her desperate face, small arms reaching out to him, as she was carried further and further away from his loving arms. Sometimes he still experienced nightmares about it. He had been so close. He had almost saved her. He was too late…

This night was different. The reoccurring nightmare that had plagued him since the day he felt the searing, blinding, white hot pain as his spark bond with his daughter was severed…began as it always did.

 _Optimus knew the Decepticons were coming. Their ship's main weapon batteries had been disabled. His crew had no choice but to hold their ground as Decepticon boarding crafts docked with the main hatches on their hull. He grimaced. His audio receptors had been mercilessly assaulted by the red-alert warning klaxons for the past two Astro-minutes. There was an easy way to remedy that. He protracted his arm blade from his forearm and felt it slide smoothly over the back of his hand…and with one decisive swipe, he destroyed the axillary control panel on the wall beside him to deactivate the alarms._

 _He and the Autobots were doing their best to hold off the Decepticon boarding parties but their defensive line, was weakening. They were outnumbered three to one. Megatron didn't hold anything back this time._

" _Autobots, Retreat! Fall back and defend corridors 107 and 219! Ironhide, our weapons depot must not fall into Decepticon hands."_

 _Optimus watched as the explosion loving weapons specialist, took three Autobot soldiers with him to go defend the armory. He and the other Autobots managed to barricade and block off the main junctions that led to the Med-Bay, Bridge, Armory, Officers quarters, and the escape pod room. Optimus issued the evacuation order and watched as his Autobots safely jettisoned planet-side. Cybertron in all its splendor, wheeled slowly beneath their feet. The war had not yet consumed their world entirely and he could see out of the starboard viewport, the shining capital city of Iacon, gleaming up at him like a beacon._

 _As long as Iacon remained free of Decepticon tyranny- hope remained._

 _His attention was ripped away from his brief respite when he felt a small body collide into his legs. He released a small, stunned cry of alarm at the unexpected bodily contact but relaxed immeasurably when a set of very familiar, baby blue optics gazed desperately up at his own. A youngling, bearing a great resemblance to himself-despite the fact the child was of female gender—had tiny arms wrapped around his legs. She was the human equivalent of a seven or an eight year old. Her optics were wide and she was trembling as distant explosions shook the ship, causing the metallic hull to creak and groan in protest._

 _He looked down at her with first confusion and then with firm severity that normally brooked no argument._

" _My child, what are you doing here? You should be with Prowl! I want you to go back right now and board one of the escape pods. I will find you after the battle ends."_

" _NO! I don't want to leave! I want to stay with you!" she cried as blue energon coolant pooled within her optics._

 _The child buried her face against his thigh plating and continued to stubbornly cling to him._

 _Optimus reached down and picked her up, holding her protectively against his chest. She latched on to him and refused to let go._

" _My sweet-spark…I only wish for you to be safe. Please. Please do as I say," his voice wavered as a plethora of emotions flooded his spark. Worry. Love. Protectiveness._ _ **Fear**_ _. The fear that Megatron would learn of his daughter's existence and seek to claim her for himself._

 _His daughter began to cry and her grip seemed to tighten. Optimus ran a hand soothingly across her back panels and whispered words of comfort and of love. Soon her trembling ceased and her tears abated._

" _Please! Please let me stay with you! I promise to be good!"_

 _Optimus gently pried her away so that they could see eye-to-eye and gently wiped away her tears with a soft smile._

 _Her exuberant promise brought a smile to his face and he nuzzled her in affection._

" _I know you would, child…but you can't stay with me. The battlefield is no place for a sweet-spark like you."_

 _Her trembling lip began to quiver and more energon coolant leaked from her optical sensors as her crying resumed. Why did his daughter have to make this so difficult? If there was one thing that Optimus learned well regarding younglings over the Mega-cycles…it was patience. He attempted to console her one last time and coaxed her in the hopes she would at last listen to him. He flooded their bond with all the love he had for her. She answered back with a warm, loving spark-pulse of her own._

" _Everything is going to be okay, my little spark. I need you to be brave for me. Do you think you can do that?"_

 _She nodded slowly with an adorable pout. He gave her one last hug and stopped an Autobot in passing. The femme had been stationed with their unit for nearly three Deca-cycles now. Over time she proved that she could be trusted. Optimus was always very leery when it came to entrusting his daughter's welfare in another bot's hands. The paranoid idea that a traitor could be in their midst always made him just a little edgy. Prime was loathe to relinquish his daughter, even to a crewmate who was supposedly trustworthy…especially in the midst of a crisis like this one. He had no other choice though._

 _He gave his child a parting kiss and watched as she was carried away…never knowing that his paranoid delusions were all too real. Optimus regrouped with the other Autobots to devise a plan that would allow them to 'emergency land' their badly damaged ship in a controlled crash that would hopefully keep them all in one piece._

 _Many of his soldiers, mainly the wounded ones, were already planet-side now that the escape pods had all jettisoned. His daughter was supposedly on the last one. Suddenly without warning, a fear that was not his own wrenched within his spark and forced him to scream his child's name. He heard his daughter's plea for help._

 _ **/Father please help me!/**_

 _Optimus wasn't aware that he'd left the others behind on the bridge. He ran-ignoring all who tried to question him-shoved aside all who tried to stop him. He was unaware that a select loyal few, the ones who elected to remain behind to aid their leader, began a bold pursuit. Optimus ducked beneath low-hanging debris and dodged around sparking energy cables. The lights flickered eerily as the ship continued to lose power. He didn't stop for a moment when he came across the fallen bodies of the warriors that littered the charred deck plating and simply hurtled over them in his panicked and frenzied flight through the long corridors. Optimus followed their bond…their parent-child connection acting like a GPS system. His daughter's spark was a flaming nova. A bright light that cast aside even the darkest shadows. It led the way for him like a blazing beacon._

 _He slid to a stop when he found what he was looking for. His optics widened and with a snarl he raised his Ion blaster and aimed it at his child's kidnappers. There standing right in front of him, was the femme Autobot…now branded a traitor, standing next to a contingent of Decepticon soldiers. The fem bot smirked devilishly at him as she handed Prime's daughter to one of the Cons. The youngling lashed out at her father's enemies… now HER enemies, only to be subdued. The Autobot traitor turned to the Decepticon ring-linger. He was a brute of a fellow who seemed to lack even the basest of intelligence._

 _Optimus felt his rage mounting as the femme openly admitted to her crime as well as the reason that influenced her to so foolishly make it._

" _I brought her to you, like I promised. Now where is my payment?"_

" _I've got your payment right here…"_

 _The Decepticon brute aimed his cannon at her. Before she even had a chance to scream, her spark was extinguished as a bright plasma round blasted through her chest. Optimus narrowed his optics. Despite the femmes crime, she deserved a decent trial rather than an execution. He knew well enough that her blood was not on his hands. She sealed her own fate when she foolishly tried to bargain with Megatron. In a firm, authoritative voice he commanded the Decepticons holding his child captive._

" _Let her go! You've got the wrong youngling!"_

 _His statement seemed to have confused the lot of them. They spoke in hushed voices amongst themselves, a few gesturing inarticulately as though trying to debate if Prime spoke the truth or not. Finally all optics turned back to the Autobot leader. The brute gave an incredulous sounding snort and pointed an accusing finger at Optimus._

" _Can you prove it?"_

 _Optimus's face became a blank mask…or what humans would call 'a poker face'._

" _What makes you so sure that she is the one you are after?"_

 _His daughter managed to kick the Decepticon holding her in the face, earning a pained cry. Optimus had to fight back a very amused grin and flooded their bond with pride._

" _The youngling looks like you."_

 _The Con gestured towards his daughter's light blue helm where antennae identical to his own protruded from both sides of her head._

" _Ultra-Magnus resembles me in some ways yet we do not share a familial relation. I'm telling you, she is not the child you want. Now let her go."_

" _She's not, eh? We'll just have to see about that…"_

 _Without any warning, the Con walked over to where his child was still struggling against her captor and shoved the barrel of his gun against her head. Optimus reacted as any father would…and in so doing, sealed his child's fate._

" _NO! DON'T HURT HER! PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! TAKE ME INSTEAD!"_

 _The Con grinned and guffawed._

" _Looks like we caught the right one after all. Megatron will be pleased. Attempt to follow us Prime…and the child dies!"_

 _Optimus could only stand helplessly by as he watched the Decepticons walk triumphantly away as his youngling…his little spark, was carried over the burly shoulder of one of the soldiers with arms outstretched towards him. He was sure that he would never be able to erase the image of her pleading face from his optics nor the sound of her screams as they carried her further and further away from him._

 _Optimus was only vaguely aware that his Autobots were shouting death threats and insults at the retreating backs of their enemies behind and beside him._

 _If he had just allowed his child to remain with him…she would not be where she was now._

 _Now no longer confined to an actual memory within his dreamscape, everything around him began to change. All he could see was his child reaching for him as Megatron carted her away to do Primus-knew-what to her. He ran after his foe and used his Ion blaster to blow open the door that Megatron exited through only to be greeted with the sight of his dead child on the ground. Energon had pooled beneath her lifeless body and her optics were dark. Her chest panel was open and her empty spark chamber was exposed…_

 _Optimus released a strangled scream at the sight and choked on sobs as he ran to her side. He cradled her and felt like purging when the absence of her spark hit home. He began rocking her as he held her against him._

" _My child, I'm so sorry…forgive me…"_

 _Suddenly her optics brightened but this time they were an evil, Decepticon red. She sneered at him and spoke to him in a very uncharacteristically dark voice._

" _ **Thanks for not saving me,**_ **daddy** _ **. Now I can be rid of you forever!"**_

 _The dream changed._

 _Optimus closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was back on Earth. All around him, cities were in ruins. Skyscrapers that once stood tall and unopposed…now nothing more than a pile of ash and burning rubble. It was far too quiet. Where were all of the humans?_

 _The large metropolis he was standing in was completely abandoned. Was this whole planet… dead?_

 _Optimus began to walk and the scenery completely changed around him. Rather than in a city, he was out in the countryside. In the place of lush green grass and tall, proud trees…was a barren wasteland. Lakes were dried up. The sky had been darkened and cast a dismal shadow upon the world. Optimus searched for any sign, for any form of life._

 _This was not the Earth he had once called home…_

 _His spark began to grow heavy within his chest._

 _Where were the animals? Where were the birds and the flowers? The rushing rivers and the forests?_

 _The nightmarish landscape changed again and he found himself standing on a sandy hill overlooking something truly terrifying._

 _Below him were countless humans, enslaved and in chains. They had shock collars not unlike the ones that humans employed on their domesticated canines. Most of the humans looked malnourished…and on the verge of collapse._

 _Prime narrowed his optics and clenched his hands into tight fists when he spotted numerous Decepticons overseeing the camps. They were torturing and killing the Earthlings that were too weak to work. They were laughing as they fed off of their captives' misery and despair._

 _Righteous fury began to kindle and burn within his spark._

 _The Cons were siphoning and forcing all of the humans to collect their planet's natural resources for them. It was no doubt part of Megatron's plan to 'conquer the universe' as he'd threatened time and time again over the eons. Now it appeared as though his plans were going to succeed…starting with Earth._

 _Despite what the humans had done, despite their decision to banish the Autobots, Optimus knew that they did not deserve any of this._

 _That righteous fury burned brighter and brighter still, as he continued to bear witness to the Decepticons' spark-less cruelty._

 _He took two steps forward and hit some form of invisible barrier. He saw that he was being confined in a box of transparent plexi-glass. He pounded his fists against it was shocked to discover that he could not break out. He was trapped._

 _Then he saw her…_

 _His daughter._

 _How could that be? He was sure that she had been dead just minutes ago._

 _His optical sensors widened when he saw his youngling, still in Cybertronian form and wearing a slave collar, writhing on the ground as a steady surge of raw electricity was sent coursing through her small body. Optimus pounded both of his fists against the glass and screamed her name. She didn't hear him…_

 _He shuttered his optics and grit his denta together in aggrieved anguish. When he opened his optics, his daughter was missing! He slammed his hands uselessly against his transparent prison and felt fear grip his spark as he searched for her. It was a fear that he hadn't felt in over eight Cosmo-cycles…the last time he'd felt fear of this magnitude, it had been when he watched an Autobot traitor successfully abscond with his child._

 _Optimus Prime saw a female human materialize where his daughter had been standing moments before. For reasons unknown to him, he felt drawn to her. He couldn't explain it but he felt as though he KNEW her. She was wearing protective gear but rather than a helmet, she currently sported a slave collar like all the rest. When she looked up to meet his eyes from where she had been swinging a pick-axe at a wall of rock, Optimus felt his spark skip a beat._

 _The youthful lady's brown eyes…looked incredibly haunted for one so young. As though she'd seen dark, unimaginable things. They were dull, brimming with tears, and completely devoid of hope. She lowered her head and when she looked up a few seconds later, Optimus was in a stunned stupor. All he could do was stare with wide optics and with his mouth hanging open._

 _The girl's eyes were now glowing a bright, vibrant, Autobot blue…_

 _He was startled when he heard her speak to him._

" _The time has come at last."_

 _She rested a hand over her chest, right over where he knew her spark would be had she been Cybertronian and was stunned to faintly feel a spark bond faintly pulsing between them…_

 _It felt exactly like the spark bond he used to have with his daughter when she'd been alive… but that was impossible!_

" _Who are you?" Optimus softly questioned as he pressed his hands against the glass._

 _She gave him a sad smile._

" _I'm the broken link from your past."_

" _What do you mean? I don't understand! Who are you?!"_

 _Her face fell and her eyes filled with grief. Her expression broke his heart. His suspicions were mounting as to the identity of the female human but he didn't dare trust to hope._

" _I'm the missing piece to your spark…"_

 _She turned her back on him and began to walk away._

" _NO! WAIT! Come back!"_

 _Optimus felt himself fall through the invisible glass and landed on his hands and knees. When he raised his head, his optics took in a horrendously gruesome sight. Laying on the ground were dead humans by the hundreds of thousands, their multitude stretching to the horizon as Earth began to burn._

" _NO…" Optimus ground out barely above a whisper as his spark lurked at the nightmarish image. His vents began to heave and work overtime when his optics landed on the still, unmoving form of a familiar looking human among the endless sea of bodies._

 _He recognized the girl with the glowing blue eyes. Her eyes were open and unseeing, her face bearing an expression of pain and misery...her mouth open as though frozen in a silent scream. The landscape began to fade away into black._

 _Suddenly Megatron's face appeared out of the gloom and he sneered at Optimus._

" _ **You'll never save her, Prime. Your daughter belongs to ME!**_ _"_

Optimus jolted awake from recharge and ran a hand over his facial plates with a deep frown. His spark was pounding in his chest…

It had been Astro-cycles since he'd had the nightmare. Although the part with the female human claiming to be linked with him was new.

He suddenly noticed that his com-link was chiming, alerting him to an incoming call. Prowl's voice filtered through.

"Sir, we have set course for planet Kaltaren as ordered."

Optimus did not respond or acknowledge him. Prowl prompted him with clear concern.

"Optimus…are you alright?"

Everyone knew that Prime had been pretty despondent since their banishment. The leader of the Autobots knew that Megatron was going to conquer Earth…and there was nothing anyone could do about it. It angered him. The last time he'd felt this helpless, was when Megatron called him to confirm that little Aethelgythe was moments away from being publicly executed at his hands.

Optimus thought back on the dream and he placed a hand on his chest, directly over his spark and felt a familiar, fuzzy, loving pulse.

 _His precious child, his sweet-spark…was_ _ **alive**_ _._ She had to be. He didn't have a clue how it was even possible but he just knew. He could _feel_ it.

He had a desperate feeling…that they had to turn the ship around.

"Belay that order, Prowl!"

Optimus was already running out of the door and towards the bridge. He barged in before Prowl had a chance to question his rather unorthodox behavior. Jazz, Hound, Prowl, Cliffjumper, and Bumblebee paused in their current tasks to give their commander confused and baffled expressions.

"Somethin' we can do for you Prime?" Jazz questioned casually as he leaned against a weapons console.

Instead of gracing his 1st Lieutenant with a response, he swiftly bounded over to the navigational controls and entered an override code that deleted the current heading. He then punched in a set of very familiar coordinates.

"We have to turn this ship around!"

"What, why?" Hound questioned with wide eyes. His leader never sounded this harried unless something was very wrong.

Bumeblebee's optics widened when he recognized their new heading.

"Is that—?"

"The coordinates for Earth? Yes. We are going back."

"Optimus. You know that we were forbidden to ever retu—" Prowl began before the Autobot leader cut him off.

"—I know. Please, trust me on this my friend. We _have_ to go back."

"I don't understand. Why?" Cliffjumper raised an eye ridge curiously.

Prime continued to adjust the controls and fired up the warp drive. Without looking up, he replied.

"Megatron must be stopped. He has enslaved the humans and he is gathering enough energy to begin his campaign for galactic conquest."

"I understand how you must feel Optimus…but the humans made their choice. They believed that they were capable of defending themselves and banished us. We can't go back," Jazz tried to gently reason.

Optimus glanced up to briefly meet the optics of his crew as he finished a systems check of their sub-light ion drives and the ship's weapon batteries.

"I refuse to silently and idly stand by with the knowledge that the humans are about to face total annihilation. Their planet hangs in the balance. If we do not return, the Earth will be destroyed. Tantalis IV will be Megatron's next stop…it's the closest planet to Earth with sentient life," he stated grimly.

"I have a feeling there is something else you aren't telling us. I agree that Megatron must be stopped…and I support your decision Optimus but I need you to answer one question first. Why are you suddenly so _desperate_ to return to a planet that completely hates us?" Prowl crossed his arms with a small frown, though his concern for his leader was evident in his expression.

Optimus Prime raised his head and looked at his Autobots currently assembled on the bridge as he firmly gripped the steering yoke in both hands. Then he locked optics with his tactician. A small smile began to quirk at the corner of his mouth as he answered with complete conviction and without a trace of doubt.

"Because Prowl… Aethelgythe… _ **is alive**_ _._ "

TO BE CONTINUED!


	5. Psychological Interrogation

Author's Note: I want to thank my lovely reviewers for your feedback last chapter and for those of you who took the time to graciously add this story to their alerts and favorites! :D Also I picture Frenzy and Rumble as G1 but with realistic Bay movie bodies.

Disclaimer: I still don't own Transformers. :/ Also my Cybertronian time measurements and the three special insults I invented are mine unless someone else invented these specifically already and I just didn't know about it. In which case I don't own them. I do not own Star wars either.

Cybertronian Time Units:

Astro-Second = 2 minutes

Astro-Minute = 10 minutes

Nano-cycle = 120 minutes (2 Hours)

Astro-cycle = 100 years

Deca-cycle = 1,000 years

Mega-cycle = 10,000 years

Cosmo-cycle = 1,000,000 years

 **CHAPTER 4**

Rayne Payton had a growing sense of dread. She didn't have a clue what Soundwave had in store for her. He called it a "psychological evaluation"…but Rayne had the feeling there was more to it than that. She couldn't help but wonder why the Decepticon Communication's Officer selected her first. Was it because she was the only human in the slave camp who recognized him?

A thought occurred to Rayne. Did any of this have to do with her strange dreams? There was no possible way Soundwave could know unless he questioned her. _Or worse._ Rayne had the growing suspicion that he could easily and effortlessly rifle through her mind and simply _take_ the information he wanted. She knew he could telepathically communicate as was previously revealed when he corrected her mistaken identity of Frenzy.

Rayne paused in her silent musings to once again affirm her current situation. She was seated in a very uncomfortable metal chair. It was silver in color and reminded her of the crime shows she used to watch on television—the ones that the suspects were always forced to sit in during an interrogation. Was that the reason why she was here? Was this evaluation an effort to find and eliminate slaves who planned to rebel? Why else would he be evaluating every single slave?

Soundwave was currently absent from the room which gave Rayne more time to think and to hopefully mentally prepare herself for whatever was to come.

The young paramedic was no stranger to harboring rebellious thoughts. There were many days in fact that she tried to work up the nerve to plan and carry out an escape attempt. If given the opportunity, she would gladly join the human resistance. Rumors were spreading that their numbers were growing. Some were former slaves. The majority though, were the humans who managed to avoid capture since Megatron's hostile takeover of Earth. They remained in hiding until the time was right for them to strike.

And strike they did.

They mostly operated during the cover of nightfall. It gave Rayne hope when the news reached her ears a month ago when the word got out that the rebellion actually managed to liberate one of the smaller slave camps. How they managed to overpower the Decepticons remained a mystery.

Over the past year, Rayne felt a growing anger. Righteous anger for the cruel injustices forced upon her people. She was willing to sacrifice her life if need be to see mankind free from Decepticon oppression and tyranny. To be free of bondage.

So what was Rayne going to do?

She had one of two options. She could either openly admit to her rebellious thoughts and feelings when Soundwave 'evaluated' her…or _she could try to hide it from him_.

Rayne muttered a soft curse and felt anxiety gnawing at her stomach when she felt and heard the thundering footfalls of large pedes approaching, seconds before the imposing figure of Soundwave re-entered the room he'd left her in. He had Frenzy with him. That was odd…

The reason for Frenzy's presence became known a minute later when he approached her to deactivate her slave collar. The minibot handed it to Soundwave and then went to stand beside him.

" **Remove your helmet."** Soundwave ordered without preamble.

Rayne froze.

That fuzzy pulsing feeling within her chest suddenly grew. Rather than feeling love…it was as though her spirit had reawakened after a long sleep. It was like she could feel a fire burning within her soul. It gave her a blazing courage and a boldness she'd never experienced before. A defiance unlike any other. She narrowed her eyes and growled despite the fact Soundwave couldn't see her facial expression and subtly canted her helmeted head to the side as her unwavering defiance roared to the surface like a raging inferno. She responded in a tone that dared the mech to challenge her.

" _NO_."

Her body reacted before her brain could fully comprehend the implications of her actions. Rayne slowly stood with clenched fists and raised her head defiantly. She pressed the button on the side of her helmet to retract her facial visor and held herself up with pride. If she could see herself in a mirror, Rayne would have been able to see a spark of brazen courage burning in her eyes. Her face reflected wisdom beyond her years and her expression despite her human physique, was the same look Optimus Prime was well known to have upon his features when revealing his 'No-nonsense' attitude to all his foes.

To say she was stunned by Frenzy's reaction was an understatement. The minibot's mouth dropped open as though in shock and his optics widened in disbelief as though he recognized her.

Rayne Payton did not consciously know or realize it…but her proud stance was very much like the one Optimus exhibited when facing his arch-nemesis. It displayed her inner strength and a power she did not yet know she possessed. It revealed her sense of righteous justice and promised future retribution for crimes committed against both her and the innocent souls who also had the misfortune of crossing paths with Megatron's followers. The Decepticons had seen it so many times that they knew whenever the leader of the Autobots displayed such a pose, it meant that the Cons were in for a world of imminent hurt. Experience told them that defeat was not far behind and it sent most of them running for the hills.

Unfortunately for Rayne, her small, fragile stature did not have the same effect on Soundwave—a being that was at least twenty times her size.

Soundwave then did the impossible. He raised a hand in her direction and an invisible shockwave hit her body and forced her to fly backwards into the metal chair. It reminded her very much of a "Force-push" from the Star Wars franchise. She groaned from the impact and was mildly surprised to see that the chair was in fact bolted down. She gripped the armrests to support herself in an effort to vault back up to her feet.

Rayne gave a startled cry when metal cuffs slid from the chair and over her wrists, effectively locking her in place. She struggled against her restraints in vain. Then the creepiest thing happened.

She began to feel an invisible prodding against her right temple as though someone were pressing their hand against her head. Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what he was trying to do. He was attempting to break into her mind! Soundwave stopped his gentle 'prodding' about four seconds later and then gave Frenzy a silent hand signal.

That's when Frenzy gave Soundwave a small nod and approached the young woman, now bound and currently helpless. He forcefully removed her helmet to reveal her snarling face. Then the little minibot hit a hidden button on the side of her chair and a larger metal restraint slid across her abdomen pinning her.

Well, at least her legs and feet were free…

The second she thought that, Rayne noticed that Soundwave's red visor seemed to brighten briefly as he turned his head from her to his little minibot. That's when Frenzy locked her ankles into the awaiting cuffs on the leg chairs. She internally screamed in frustration.

 _GREAT! JUST GREAT!_

"Oh come on! Isn't this a little overkill? My wrists were already restrained to a _bolted down chair_! Do you really think I was going to get far?! The bonds are made of metal and I'm _human_. Or did you forget that little detail?" she sneered at them. Rayne gave both of the Decepticons her worst death glare.

" **Who are you?"**

Rayne blinked at Soundwave's unexpected question and stared at him dumbly.

"Rayne Payton.

A minute of silence passed between them. Was he expecting her to say something more? She raised her eyes to the ceiling and released a long-suffering sigh and then looked Soundwave eye-to-visor and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's it to you? Or do you want my fraggin' slave identification number?" she ended with a sneer of contempt.

Soundwave took a few steps closer and pulled a large Cybertronian sized chair up to the recharge berth that was currently acting as the 'floor' of Rayne's 'interrogation room'. He leaned towards her with a glare of his own, no doubt scowling beneath his facemask.

" **Are you aware that you have just uttered a Cybertronian profanity?"**

Rayne's defiance briefly fizzled out as her confusion grew dominant.

"Are you serious? Haven't you read human fan-fiction on the internet? All humans use words like that…at least in relation to all of you. Oh wait…you guys destroyed the world-wide web during your extermination mission. Congratulations on being the world's biggest moron," she scowled.

Soundwave's only reaction to her mockery was to ball his hands into fists.

" **Your disrespect will cost you dearly in the future. How many profane Cybertronian curses do you humans currently know?"** He demanded with growing ire.

Rayne glanced up at the ceiling and her brows furrowed in thought. If her hands had been free she would have physically been counting on her fingers as she began to list the terminology he was inquiring about.

"You want a list? You got one. Let's see: Frag, fragger, fraggin, slag, slagger, slaggin, glitch—", she paused to give him a flat stare before continuing, "—seriously, if _glitch_ is considered a swear word to you guys…so lame…" she cleared her throat and then finished her list, "…there is glitch-head…um…aft, aft-hole…slagtard, cosmitrocity, defectivonian, and junki-reject. _Like you_. Helpful?" she supplied with a sarcastic smirk.

Stone-cold silence greeted her ears. Then to her astonishment…he began to darkly chuckle. The soft chuckling quickly turned into a darkly amused laugh. It obviously wasn't like a human laugh but was more mechanical and electronic sounding and for the majority, it contained no evidence of Soundwave's true emotional state.

It was beyond unnerving. It made her frown. When he at last composed himself, he leaned forward until his facemask was but an arm's length away from her face.

" **Any terminology associated with the words "Aft" and "Glitch" are not considered to be Cybertronian profanity…but three that you have listed certainly are. Do you remember what they were?"**

"Fragger? Slagger? N-not really, no…" she replied candidly.

His visor glowed brightly and what he said next had her stomach knotting in cold, heart-stopping fear.

" _ **Cosmitrocity**_ **,** _ **Defectivonian**_ **, and** _ **junki-reject**_ **. Three Cybertronian terms of a profane nature. You are the only human on Earth to ever suggest knowledge of their existence."**

"What are you saying? I don't even know where those three words came from! Hell, I don't even know what they _**mean**_! They just…popped in my head! Maybe YOU are the one who made me think of them…" she glared accusingly at him.

" **There is a question you have been constantly asking yourself, Rayne Payton. '** _ **Who am I?'**_ **I think the time has come to find those answers."**

Soundwave attempted to break into her mind again. She was a little surprised when he gave up about ten minutes later. He vented a human sounding sigh that came out more like an actual growl and regarded her in silent contemplation. Soundwave finally admitted to his little captive, the road block he was facing.

" **You have mental shielding."**

When no further explanation was forthcoming, Rayne glanced around her as if to ensure that Soundwave was in fact talking to her and not to someone else and gave him a bewildered look. Her expression mirrored her morbid curiosity as she questioned him.

"Meaning…what?"

" **You are no ordinary human."**

Rayne's expression morphed into one of confused distrust.

"What do you mean?"

" **You have the mental shielding most commonly associated with Autobot psyches."**

A long silence passed between them as they had a heated staring contest. Now it was Rayne's turn to laugh.

"Are you shitting me?! You seriously believe that? Wow…you've got a short in your processor there buddy. Get that examined," she snickered.

Soundwave did not appear impressed.

" **There is no need to deceive you concerning this matter. Your mind is unlike any other I've encountered on this wretched world."**

Rayne finally shook her head and scoffed incredulously.

"No. That's impossible! I'm a human. Doesn't that mean I have a human _MIND_?" If Rayne's wrists weren't locked down she would have been pointing theatrically at her head.

" **Indeed. You currently do and you currently are.** _ **But were you always**_ **?"**

Rayne eyed him suspiciously as she carefully considered his question. It was in that moment that she realized she had to keep the dreams she'd been experiencing a secret. If Soundwave believed she was an Autobot…then he would kill her. Wouldn't he?

"Hate to break it to you pal, but I think maybe _**you**_ are the one in need of a psychological evaluation," she responded with a derisive snort.

Soundwave folded his hands and rested them against the table as he leaned back in his chair. He held her gaze unwaveringly. She couldn't see his optics behind his red tinted visor but she could always sense when someone was looking directly at her.

" **The answers to both of our questions will soon come to light. Don't fight me, child."**

Rayne's eyes widened considerably when she felt that invisible prodding at the edge of her mind again. Like someone was poking her in the head with their finger. _HARD_. It gradually became slightly painful…and quite annoying.

He was a persistent one.

Rayne wasn't sure how much time passed. It felt like an eternity. What she did know, was that Soundwave was getting frustrated with his failed attempts to breach her so-called "mental shielding". He growled deeply and Rayne released a relieved sigh when she felt him quit his telepathic prodding. She was a fool to believe it was over…

To her dismay, his visor dimmed and his body slumped forward as though he off-lined. The young paramedic leaned forward as far as her restraints would allow and squinted her eyes in an effort to get a better look at him. _Was he recharging?_

She released a startled scream when a human looking man appeared in front of her not a second later. He was tall, standing at 6'4" at least and he was wearing black jeans and had a navy blue T-shirt on. She could faintly see he had a purple Decepticon tattoo on his right upper arm and his overall stature was muscular like a soldier. His eyes were dark, almost black even. His hair was a dark brown and he appeared middle aged. He gave her a very small, triumphant smile. When he spoke, her eyes widened.

"I've scanned your internal systems to confirm that you are not allergic to the compounds soon to be introduced into your bloodstream."

It was Soundwave in human form. Or rather, this must be what passed as his hologram. She briefly wondered if he was solid. In the cartoons they were specters. Rayne's stomach knotted in dread when she saw Frenzy pull a small rectangular container from out of a compartment that slid open in his thigh and handed it to Soundwave's hologram.

 _Nope…not a specter._

The Decepticon Communication's Officer opened the case, its contents not yet visible, and pulled four items out. He set the case down on the floor about a yard away and approached her. Rayne kept a mask in place. She didn't want to appear afraid but she couldn't stop the minute widening of her eyes or the slight trembling in her hands nor the nervous tapping of her left heel when her eyes beheld two syringes with rather intimidating looking needles. There was a small, glass vial of clear liquid held in his other hand.

Soundwave used a thumb to uncap the needle and inserted it into the vial. He held it up to his eye-level and appeared to be thoughtfully measuring the dose as he extracted whatever drug he intended to pump into her.

That's when her eyes glimpsed the third object that had been mostly obscured behind the vial in his hand.

 _SHIT! Another one?!_

The liquid in that one had a light blue hue. All sorts of morbid possibilities ran rampant through her mind as she tried to discern what type of drugs he was about to give her. At last her mind screamed loudly at her, demanding answers. Rayne was concerned to the point of being mildly panicked.

"W-what are you doing? What is that?"

Soundwave glanced at her but remained silent as he finished prepping both syringes. He squeezed a little liquid out of each syringe to dislodge any air bubbles. Rayne watched with barely concealed anxiety as he walked towards her until he was standing about a foot shy of her right side. He frowned when he realized that he and Frenzy had to correct a blatant oversight. Soundwave walked over to his minibot and ordered him to keep his palms open and face up as he placed both syringes in his awaiting hands.

"You are going to remove your jumpsuit willingly or I will do so by force," Soundwave threatened with narrowed eyes.

He walked over to Rayne and unfastened her restraints. She pretended to be cooperative and didn't immediately lash out at him. Once she was completely free, she made to shove past him but he stopped her by gripping both of her upper arms and squeezed tightly, eliciting a small pained cry from the young woman.

Thanks to years of Taekwondo training, she reflexively attempted to perform a takedown maneuver, one that was intended to inflict pain in order to make a successful getaway. That was when Rayne learned something incredibly disheartening as her defensive strategy failed on an epic scale.

 _Their holograms didn't feel pain…_

She lashed out at him with a snarl as he struggled to subdue her. He growled, fed up with her antics and performed his own takedown maneuver, effectively pinning her to the ground. He twisted her arm behind her back painfully and hissed in her ear.

" _Attempt to strike me again_ or endeavor to escape…and I will show you no leniency _. Now remove your outer garments_ _ **.**_ **"**

Feeling incredibly flustered, humiliated, and defeated…Rayne knew she had no choice in the matter. She nodded her head minutely in the affirmative and was relieved to feel his tight grip slackening as he released her. She stood back up with a scowl and glared at him as she did as he demanded. Rayne removed her jumpsuit, leaving her in her tank top and shorts. Her spirit remained impulsively defiant and she had the audacity to actually THROW her jumpsuit in a startled Soundwave's face. Or rather his hologram's face. She cried out in dismay when Soundwave roughly shoved her back down in the chair.

A minute later, she was once again restrained.

Her defiance quickly disintegrated when he appeared beside her. He held up the syringes long enough for her to get a good, long look at them and gave her a toothy smile.

"What I'm going to give you will make you a little more…compliant. Your mind will submit and whatever secrets you carry I will soon have," he leered.

It was so strange to see and hear his hologram emit more emotion than his actual Cybertronian form. It was downright scary. She eyed both needles and then her arm and frowned just as he began to lower one of them.

"WAIT! You are making… _a terrible_ mistake. Don't you think that's a little unsanitary? Don't you have any alcohol wipes to disinfect the area before you perform such a procedure?"

Soundwave's hologram paused mid-motion to consider her words with a dark frown.

"You are stalling, child. Yet you raise a valid point."

She breathed a small sigh of relief when he walked back to his little interrogation kit—at least that's what Rayne was calling it—and pulled out two alcohol wipes and one of those tourniquet bands.

 _Shit._

From the look of it, he now changed strategy. He wasn't going to inject those shots into her upper arm muscle like she thought. He was going to inject whatever drugs he was using on her, directly into her bloodstream. Rayne's face paled as he approached.

He tightened the band around her arm and used an alcohol wipe to cleanse the back of her hand.

Without any warning, he inserted the first needle into a large vein on the back of her hand…and injected her with whatever drug he'd chosen to use on her. Rayne grit her teeth at the burning pain and tried to slow her breathing as panic threatened to overwhelm her senses.

Whatever he gave her, immediately took effect. The room began to spin and her eyes grew slightly blurry. Her initial panic and anxiety slowly melted away. A drowsiness began to settle over her and her speech began to slur.

"Wh…wha' was that?"

"A light sedative," he replied brusquely.

He then proceeded to inject her with the second syringe, the one containing the light blue liquid. Much to her disgruntled surprise, that drug too did not take long to process in her system. Her eyes kept coming in and out of focus and her slurring worsened. Her tongue began to feel thick in her mouth and it was becoming hard to swallow. No doubt a side effect from the drugs.

"An' tha'?"

"Truth serum," he answered just as curtly before, as though he drugged humans every other day.

"Shou'dn' a doc han'le thiss?"

"It isn't rocket science as you humans say," he grunted with a frown as he finished doing whatever it was that he was doing…Rayne couldn't really tell since she was out of it.

Soundwave's human form disappeared and his Cybertronian body re-booted from whatever power-down was initiated in order to use his hologram.

His visor reactivated to a bright red glow and he stared at her.

" **Count yourself lucky, child… that I have taken these measures. If I did not deem you remotely valuable, I would simply rip apart your mind as I've done to most others in the past…"** he leaned forward with a throaty growl although his voice still retained that almost deadpanned monotone.

Rayne couldn't stop a silly giggle from escaping her lips but clamped her mouth shut a second later as though trying to remain composed. For a moment it appeared as though Soundwave had two heads as her wavering vision played optical illusions on her. She released a very un-lady like snort as she choked back another giggle.

" **Now tell me…where did you live before Megatron claimed dominion of this planet?"**

Rayne shook her head as though trying to clear cobwebs from her mind. To her horror she found herself responding as the truth serum strongly prompted her to answer. Thankfully her defiant spark hadn't been snuffed out entirely and she managed to turn her answer into a vague one.

"North-ern…Unite'd Shtates…"

Dear Lord, she sounded hopelessly drunk.

" **Tell me the specific city."**

"I'm not tellin' you anythin' bout' anythin'…" she weakly glared at him but burst into another giggling fit. Soundwave looked more like a femme now than a mech. His figure had slimmed down and his chest was jutting out. She imagined him wearing a tutu…dancing like a ballerina. The giggling got worse and turned into howling laughter.

" **Oh for Primus's sake…"** Soundwave growled while rubbing his fingers against his temple.

He sat still for another five minutes, internally keeping track of the time…all the while, silently and patiently enduring her outrageous laughing fits. The drug combination he'd given her was nearing its full effect. He had the next ten minutes to extract what he could. Without further delay, he began to break down her shields…only this time he didn't hold anything back. The Communication's Officer was _very_ good at what he did. He knew Megatron would be most displeased if the girl came to harm. The sedative was meant to weaken her mental shielding enough for him to successfully break through and of course the truth serum was employed to loosen her tongue—as well as to make her far more complacent. Once he breached her mind, she would willingly give him the information he sought.

The girl's eyes widened marginally and her giggling stopped when she felt him begin to ruthlessly break down one mental shield after another. She shook her head but had to stop since it made the dizziness and sudden vertigo worse. She tried to shout at him but it came out as a weak mumble. Her mind although fuzzy, was sharp enough to figure out what was going on.

"N-No! Don'! Stop it!"

Soundwave ignored her and focused all of his energy into his psychic abilities. He couldn't stop a dark, triumphant laugh when he finally managed to rip through the last of her mental shields. The pain, despite the sedative, made Rayne scream in agony. She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth as what felt like white, hot knives raked through her brain. Soon she could hear Soundwave in her head.

 _ **Tell me what you know, child. I promise the pain will stop if you comply.**_

"N-No! I w-won't!" she whimpered as she tried to push him out. It only made the agony worse. She was barely conscious now and had no idea that she was in fact, sobbing.

Suddenly the pain he was causing her seemed to activate a memory…

 _She knew this…she recognized this. He'd done this to her once before…_

Rayne saw a confusing, vague image of herself in a similar situation. Only she was a small, young Cybertronian. Restrained to a chair while Soundwave cruelly rifled through her mind to heartlessly rip out whatever information it was that he was seeking. The memory became so visual she began to SEE what Soundwave had done within her mind in the past and now in the present. It was the same exact thing… the same exact pain and the same exact extraction method.

It was as though she could see memories-images, sounds, and smells…everything she'd known while human on Earth. For a moment she could see Soundwave standing nearby. He was going through a filing cabinet and carelessly pulling out one file after another. The ones he didn't care for, he discarded on the floor as though they were trash…even some of her most cherished memories. Memories of her human family.

Then rather than a filing cabinet, her memories were flashing by on a computer monitor… and Soundwave was at a highly advanced computer console. He snickered with clear amusement and paused and replayed the horrible memories she had always tried to forget—the cruelties she'd suffered at the hands of others, the deaths of friends and family members, all of the mistakes she had made during the course of her young human life…her sins…her flaws…her faults. Her likes and dislikes. Her thoughts both pure and wicked. They were all there for Soundwave to see.

Rayne suddenly felt so naked. So exposed. She screamed at him in outrage and ran right for him. He had his back turned to her and kept typing at the touch-screen keyboard and ignored her as though she weren't there. Soon he had extracted everything he wanted to know regarding her human life. Just as she was about to tackle him, he turned his head and reached one arm out. He caught her by the neck and effectively stopped her. He threw her down to the ground and leapt on her. He pinned her down effortlessly and chuckled darkly.

 _ **It's time, child…to reveal to me the truth.**_

He reached a hand down and gripped the side of her head. Her brain felt like it was on fire. It made her scream…whether it was vocally, mentally, or perhaps even both…she didn't know. All she knew in that moment, was agony as she felt those mental fingers digging around inside her head. She gasped, cried, and to her own disgust— _honestly though she was still under the influence of some serious mind-altering drugs_ —pleaded with him to stop. To just let her go. That she was innocent.

"With Primus as my witness, I swear, I promise I don't know anything! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Rayne screamed as she began to fight him with a renewed fury. Soundwave was too strong. He easily overpowered her. It brought her a sense of helplessness and a hopelessness that she prayed she'd never feel again.

Soon she saw in her mind's eye…Soundwave successfully encounter the dreams she'd been having. The ones she tried so desperately to hide and keep locked away from his sight. She failed…

His dark laughter returned and seemed to echo inside his head. He finally ended his mental assault and withdrew from her mind, releasing her from his psychic power. Rayne saw him disappear.

Rayne was confused. She was still standing in the dark room with that large, highly advanced computer screen. Was she trapped within her mind? Was she asleep? _Was she dead?_ The answer quickly became apparent when she felt something wet and cold…cold as ice…splash over her.

Rayne woke up groggily to see the blurry, fuzzy form of Frenzy standing nearby with an empty bucket in his hand. It seriously felt like she was losing complete control of her motor functions. She felt small chunks of ice slide down her legs and neck. She shivered, knocking more ice cubes off. They fell out of her hair and off her shoulders. Her teeth began to chatter as her body temperature began to plummet.

The sedative and truth serum continued to pound viciously through her system and her head began to throb as the onset of a horrible migraine became noticeable. Maybe if she was lucky…Soundwave would just let her die now. He got whatever information he wanted…didn't he?

Rayne wasn't even aware that she had been released from her bonds. She felt her body slumping forward of its own accord and was caught by Frenzy. He lifted her over his shoulder and began to carry her over to Soundwave. Hanging virtually upside down did nothing to alleviate the migraine and if anything, it made it ten times worse.

She moaned in pain and didn't even recognize her own voice. It had grown so hoarse. Had she been screaming? Rayne didn't remember screaming…she didn't remember much of what had happened. All she knew was that she was freezing, that she was still suffering incredible pain, and was barely conscious enough to realize that Frenzy had dried her off and was dressing her.

Minutes later, Rayne could almost swear that she was flying and couldn't help but wonder if she had died and her soul was now floating up to heaven. That wasn't the case.

Much to her disoriented surprise, Soundwave was holding her against his chest and was gently stroking her back…like she was a sparkling. _No…more like a pet_. With all of her strength, anger, and defiance finally spent…she no longer fought him as the sedative began to pull her further into the dark realm of oblivion. Her fractured mind now needed time to heal.

The last thing she heard before passing out was Soundwave's dark voice reverberating inside her head. Only it was gentler then it had been before.

 _ **/Welcome back…Aethelgythe. We have great plans for you/**_

Then her eyes fluttered closed and she knew no more.

* * *

Optimus's optics widened and he abruptly shouted his child's name. It startled everyone within the vicinity. Spark-stopping fear pounded in his chest.

 _His little spark…she was in danger._

The other Autobots on the bridge shared worried looks amongst themselves and then focused their sole attention on Optimus. Ratchet frowned pensively when he saw Prime's expression. The only time the Autobot leader openly and publicly displayed his fear was whenever it had to do with the safety of his child.

"Optimus, what's wrong? What happened?"

When Optimus turned his head to meet Ratchet's concerned face, he spoke barely above a whisper…with fear etched on his features and with energon coolant brimming in his optics.

"The Decepticons know _._ They _know_ who my sparkling is."

Jazz grinned and managed to lighten the mood, bringing a small smile to his leader's face.

"Don' eva' let Aethelgythe hear you say that. The kid hates it."

Optimus's amused grin fell and his grim expression returned. He replied softly as that barely discernable worry entered his optics again.

"She will always be my sparkling…no matter how old she grows."

"Prime, we have enough fuel to utilize the ship's warp-booster. According to my calculations, we will enter Earth's orbit within approximately 120 Nano-cycles. By my estimations we should make planet-fall ten Earth days from now," Wheeljack confirmed with clear confidence.

"Then we must not delay. Jazz, activate the Omega-drive!" Optimus commanded.

Optimus looked at all of the Autobots with a mischievous smile—a smile identical to the one his daughter often had when pulling her pranks with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe.

"When we arrive, we will land upon the night-side of the planet. We will proceed under the cover of darkness. Megatron won't even know what hit him…"

Under Jazz's guidance, their ship—The Maximus—fired up all protocols necessary to transfer a secondary reserve of energon to the Omega-drive. Energy built up, crackling with raw power as the sub-system began to engage. Seconds later, their Ion-engines brightened from sky blue to a hot, pure white light. The Maximus, already moving at warp-speed, blasted forward with a speed thought only to exist in science fiction novels…

Optimus placed a hand over his chest and felt his spark reaching out to his child's. Though it was faint, a soft, loving pulse answered and a small smile crossed his face. She was still alive. For now, that was all that mattered.

 _Hold on a little longer, my child…I'm coming._

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

Author's Note: So I believe I invented the Cybertronian swear words " _Cosmitrocity_ , _Defectivonian_ , and _junki-reject"_. I will give you the correct pronunciation and my definition of what they mean. ;)

 _ **Cosmitrocity**_ \- Cosmi-tross-city. (Means you are a failure and an atrocity on a cosmic scale. I can totally see Prowl calling Sunstreaker and Sideswipe that.) XD

 _ **Defectivonia**_ _ **n**_ – Defective-o-nian (Insult meaning you are a defective and poorly built Cybertronian.) LOL

 **Junki-reject** – Junky–reject. (Insult used to label any Cybertronian as being completely inferior to the point that not even the Junkions would accept them. This in my mind is a big insult even though it doesn't sound like one.)

 _What do you think of my Cybertronian insults? ;p Please click review and let me know!_


	6. Revelations

Author's Note: I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year too! :D Thank you for reading, reviewing, and adding this story to your alerts and favorites. You really made my day. ;)

Cybertronian Time Units:

Astro-Second = 2 minutes

Astro-Minute = 10 minutes

Nano-cycle = 120 minutes (2 Hours)

Astro-cycle = 100 years

Deca-cycle = 1,000 years

Mega-cycle = 10,000 years

Cosmo-cycle = 1,000,000 years

 **Chapter 5**

-0003-10.11 A.B.-

Optimus Prime retired to his quarters for some much needed recharge. He'd neglected rest due to his ceaseless concern for the welfare of his child. For the past five Nano-cycles, Prime attempted to distract himself by focusing solely on the details of their impending rescue mission. His thoughts constantly wandered and his fatigue at last caught up with him. She was still in Decepticon hands. His daughter didn't have to tell him. He could sense through their dim bond that she had been forced into a deep recharge cycle. As far as he could tell, Megatron did not yet have possession of her.

 _Thank Primus._

Optimus could only hope that this night would not torment his subconscious mind and haunt him with nightmares inspired by his one and only fear.

The fear that he would be too late… that his daughter would be cruelly taken from him a second time. Megatron still plagued his dreams on occasion. The evil Decepticon warlord would usually mock him for his past failure and would always leave him with the frightening warning that his child was beyond saving.

 _ **NO!**_

He would never let that happen! He would sacrifice his own spark if necessary.

Optimus went to lay down upon his berth and once he was comfortable, folded his hands over his abdominal plating and stared up at the dim ceiling. A soft blue light pierced the shadows around him, emanating from his optical sensors. The only other light source in the room came from his computer terminal on his desk. As he attempted to power down, his processor began to wander.

It had been millions of years…

Millions of years since he last held his little spark in his arms. Years since his child rested upon his chest, deep in recharge. A small smile graced his features in that moment. He could still remember her sweet harmonic voice, asking him for a story on the nights when she couldn't immediately fall into recharge. He could still see her innocent, baby blue optics gazing lovingly into his own.

What he couldn't remember…was what it felt like to simply hold her. His spark ached as a powerful, wistful longing engulfed him.

 _It had been too long…_

Now that his child was the focal point of his thought processes, Optimus found his spark habitually reaching out to his daughter's, just to comfort him with the knowledge that yes…she still lived. They would enter Earth's orbit in eight days.

He tried to quiet and calm his racing processor. He couldn't fight back a small grin when he remembered the Autobots' reactions when he revealed to them that Aethelgythe had more or less returned from beyond the grave…

-Flashback-

" _Because Prowl…Aethelgythe…_ _ **is alive**_ _."_

 _The bridge of the Maximus was bathed in deafening silence. All of the Autobots stared at Prime as though he'd grown a second head. Their expressions ranged from dubiously doubtful… to awe-stricken incredulousness._

 _The quiet stillness was broken when four of the Autobots found their voices long enough to shout in shocked unison._

" _SHE'S WHAT?!" Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Prowl, and Cliffjumper exclaimed in perfect harmony._

 _Then the bridge lapsed back into a suffocating silence as each Bot appeared to be struggling to digest the news. It lasted for less than half-an astro second before multiple voices began to shout in a loud, vicious conundrum. Much of what was said overlapped but Optimus was more than capable of catching nearly every word as his Autobots erupted into frantic, chaotic tirades._

" _Optimus…you can't be serious!"_

" _How do you know?"_

" _That's not possible!"_

" _Are you positive?"_

" _That can't be true!"_

" _Is she really alive?!"_

" _She's on Earth, are you sure?"_

" _How can that be?!"_

" _Are you sure you aren't just imagining it?"_

" _How long have you known?"_

" _I don't understand…why didn't you sense her before we left?"_

" _Maybe Ratchet should examine you…"_

 _Optimus raised his hands with a grin and attempted to restore order._

" _Alright! Alright! Settle down! I will answer your questions as best as I can…"_

 _He looked pointedly at Prowl with a frown as he began although his attention eventually drifted to the others who were present._

" _No, Prowl…I don't need Ratchet to examine me. I only felt our spark-bond return earlier this evening as I was recharging. I dreamt of her. I saw her. When I awoke, I found that our connection had been reestablished…"_

" _Optimus, she was on Cybertron when she died…how in the universe, did she wind-up on Earth, right beneath our very noses?!" Prowl exclaimed with wide optics as his leader's words sank in._

 _Optimus's mouth set in a grim line as his optics appraised the small assembly before him. He had a feeling that what he was about to reveal would undoubtedly start another ruckus. Prowl would probably com Ratchet and order him to examine their leader's processor…and the others would probably just label him as crazy. He vented a human sounding sigh and shuttered his optics whilst pinching the bridge of his nose plates with a thumb and index finger. When he opened them he took a deep breath and prepared to drop the proverbial bomb on the lot of them._

" _She's…Oh Primus how do I phrase this?" His shoulders sagged as he worked up the courage to just say it. It already sounded insane within his mind. He could only imagine how it would sound once the words were finally uttered._

" _She's… what?" Jazz prompted with a curiously raised optic ridge._

 _It seemed as though the Autobots were waiting with baited breath. Not a single one of them dared to move one micrometer._

" _Aethelgythe isn't quite the same as you may remember her…you see, my daughter's become…she's now…"_

 _The Autobots continued to stare at him with wide optics and seemed to be marginally leaning forward in anticipation as they strained their audios to hear what their leader was so desperately trying to tell them._

 _Optimus subtly shook his head as though struggling with denial. He grimaced and internally braced himself for the verbal assault that was sure to come. He shuttered his optics one last time and brought a hand up to rub his temple as he finally found the nerve to 'spill the beans' as the humans would say. His optics opened and the Prime gave them a sheepish half-smile._

"… _She's human."_

 _Their expressions and their reactions were priceless. It was a sight Optimus would never forget. In seconds he was laughing uproariously as the other Autobots erupted into pandemonium at such an unforeseen and startling revelation. A slew of questions were hurled at him and they all began to crowd around him in excitement._

 _It seemed like a lifetime ago since he had genuinely and so openly laughed. The last time he'd laughed this long and this hard…was seconds after his daughter's expression turned from shock into disbelief when he assigned her a rather unusual, yet befitting punishment detail for the prank she pulled on Bluestreak. A prank that had unknowingly been her very last…_

 _-END FLASHBACK-_

Optimus shuttered his optics and vented a tired sigh. As he drifted off into a deep recharge, both his thoughts and his spark reached across the vast distance of time and space to connect with that of his little child, in the hopes that he and his daughter would be together again—if only in their dreams…

* * *

Soundwave completed his evaluations of slave camp Epsilon-41's 1,200 residents in record time. While Rayne continued to slumber, twenty-three slaves were executed for treason. The humans didn't know it, but Megatron employed him as his new Chief Enforcer.

It really wasn't that daunting a task. The humans did not have mental shielding like Rayne. All he had to do was question the slaves after a preliminary mind probe to determine who was guilty and who was not. The process took roughly three hours.

He returned to his assigned sleeping quarters to find Rayne curled up on his berth, right where he'd left her. She remained free of her former shackles. There was no need to bind her. Frenzy had been keeping a close watch on her while he was absent. The girl was still heavily tranquilized. Soundwave deemed it necessary to ensure she did not awaken. So while the child slept, he'd given her a heavier dosage of the sedative previously administered during his preliminary examination of her.

Soundwave immediately sent word to Megatron regarding his discovery of Prime's child after learning the female human's true identity. His leader was due to arrive the next morning.

Megatron gave him explicit instructions. Rayne Payton, formerly known as Aethelgythe, was to remain under heavy guard. She was to be kept far from harm, which meant that the human girl was excused from her assigned duties as slave paramedic.

He dismissed Frenzy and sent him out on patrol. Then he turned back around to regard the unconscious human. She began tossing and turning and her brows were knit in discomfort as soft, incoherent mumbles escaped her lips. She must be lost in the throes of some unforgiving nightmare…

Soundwave was curious. What was she dreaming about? He could of course use his power to probe her mind but decided against it. She was still healing from his earlier mental assault and he didn't dare risk causing irreparable damage. Megatron would kill him.

Once Soundwave was certain that the young woman would remain unconscious for at least another three hours, he took his leave of her and returned outside. He posted two sentries by the entrance with strict orders to alert him if the girl regained consciousness and to see to it that no one other than Frenzy and himself were permitted access to the room.

The intimidating Communication's officer slowly ambled away, his departure eliciting relieved sighs from every living organism in the vicinity-both human and Cybertronian alike.

 **-Meanwhile-**

 _Rayne Payton was trapped. She was lost._

 _She sensed a dark, evil presence nearby and began to run. The young woman began to despair when she felt that evil entity relentlessly pursuing her. Then she saw a light up ahead. Rayne ran towards it with a cry of joyous relief the closer she got to it._

 _Suddenly it felt as though the ground beneath her began to pull her down. The floor became wet cement and made it feel as though she was running in slow motion. Every movement felt frustratingly sluggish. Fear gripped her soul and she choked out a desperate cry for help in the form of a partial sob and struggled to move forward towards the welcoming light._

 _Rayne felt shadowy hands grab her from behind and screamed for help as she was dragged backwards and further from her goal. All hope seemed lost as the young woman realized that her cry for help would most likely remain unheard. Just when she was about to surrender and give up the fight, something profound happened._

 _A bright light exploded and chased away the darkness…releasing her from the ghostly, shadowy hands that had been so desperately trying to pull her down. Rayne stumbled forward as her feet were freed from the debilitating muck and her eyes were greeted with a breathtaking sight that brought a joyous sob to her throat._

 _There in the distance, she could see Optimus Prime waving at her, trying to get her attention. There was a ravine dividing them but as she got closer, she noticed that a large log bridged the daunting gap between them. She glanced down to see what would await her should she accidentally fall. A deep, immeasurable darkness greeted her eyes and she took a fearful step back away from the edge._

 _Rayne gasped when she felt a comforting pulse within her chest…_

 _With a stunning realization, she knew in that moment, the undeniable truth._

 _Optimus Prime…_

… _was her father._

 _She could FEEL the love he had for her through their bond and he was encouraging her to come to him._

 _Rayne had only just begun to slowly recover memories of her past life about a month before the Cybertronians were revealed to the world. That had been nearly three and a half years ago. She couldn't remember faces…just events and relationships. Even personalities of the mysteriously unnamed souls. At first, Rayne knew that the personalities she remembered were nearly identical to those of the 'fictional' Transformers. So of course, she'd dismissed those supposed memories as mere fantasy._

 _Until now…_

 _The spark-bond with her father was one of the first things she remembered... followed by what began as a vague image but that slowly cleared as time progressed. Rayne remembered a large viewport lining a hallway and beyond it were billions of twinkling stars. It was her father's ship…_

 _The interior was pure white and almost seemed to glow beneath the artificial lighting. Everything was kept in pristine condition._

 _Her attention returned to the present. Her eyes flickered up to see Optimus gesturing for her to cross the log to reach him._

 _Rayne gulped and sent up a silent prayer. Hesitantly…she began to cross. She made it about halfway there until the log moved of its own accord. Rayne screamed and dropped to her knees and hugged the log as though her life depended on it. Below her, yawned that frightening abyss of complete darkness. In that second, the young woman froze._

 _She couldn't do it…_

 _She was stuck._

 _Now that she was closer to Optimus, she could actually hear him yelling._

" _COME ON MY CHILD! YOU CAN MAKE IT!"_

 _Rayne vigorously shook her head in the negative as she felt tears pooling in her eyes. Her grip on the log tightened, turning her knuckles white, and she looked desperately at him._

" _I CAN'T! I'LL FALL OFF!"_

 _Fear gripped her soul and she despaired. Rayne wanted so desperately to reach him but she knew one wrong move, one wrong step…would send her spiraling down into those dark depths below._

 _Optimus seemed to search the nearby area around himself. For something to aid her perhaps?_

 _He then appeared to have made a quick decision. He approached the edge of his side of the ravine and stood at the base of the large log and reached down to grasp it in both hands. He shouted out instructions._

" _HOLD ON! I'M GOING TO BRING YOU ACROSS!"_

 _Rayne screamed shrilly when the log beneath her was vertically lifted, quite in the manner of a see-saw. The motion sent her flying. She lost her grip on the wood as she sailed through the air, straight towards Optimus Prime's outstretched arms. Rayne was stunned when she felt him catch her…because the moment he did, everything around them began to change._

 _She realized that she was no longer, the size of a human. Her father, gently set her down and held her small hand in the palm of his own and began to lead her towards a field. Something strange caught her attention…and like any curious child, she wanted to investigate. She gently pulled free of Optimus's hand to take a few hesitant steps in a different direction._

 _There was someone else in the dream…another Autobot. They had their back turned towards her and were sitting on a mounted cannon, firing missiles at something below the ridge. For some reason, she couldn't for the life of her figure out who it was. Her first guess was Ironhide._

 _Her father reappeared at her side and gently attempted to lead her back towards their original destination._

" _You will meet her in due time…" he rumbled gently with an amused smile._

 _His words puzzled her but she obediently allowed him to guide her. Rayne froze in her tracks and her eyes widened in both denial and horrified shock. She lost her grip on her father's hand as something far worse appeared…_

 _She could finally see who was at the bottom of the hill. The Autobot that was shooting missiles was holding back the one person she hoped she would never have to see._

 _ **MEGATRON.**_

 _What the hell was he doing here?!_

 _She began to take a couple steps in the Decepticon leader's direction as confusion drowned out all other reasonable thought processes. Then she heard her father's desperate…_ no _…his_ _ **frightened**_ _cry._

" _NO! Do not go to him! Come back to me! Please!"_

 _She turned to look at the pleading look on her father's face, his face no longer hazy and vague like her fragmented memories and then back to see the cruel, sadistic grin on Megatron's jagged features further below as he gestured for her to come to him instead. Her eyes narrowed and she shot him a death glare. She knew he would do unimaginably wicked things to her if she foolishly confronted him._

 _So Rayne turned her back on him and ran the last few steps towards her father where she knew she would be safe. He picked her up and carried her far from Megatron's sight. As though a curtain had been closed behind them, everything she'd previously seen completely disappeared from view until only her father and herself remained. He sat down with her in his lap, holding her protectively against him as the landscape brightened. She leaned back in his embrace with a sigh of joyful contentment._

 _She surveyed the area around them. They were sitting in the middle of a field full of beautiful flowers. Every kind imaginable in fact. The bright, vibrant colors lit up as the sun overhead sent beams of light shining down all around them. Not a trace of darkness existed. Nearby there was a tiny, running stream of pure, crystal clear water. Purified and untainted. It was paradise…_

 _Rayne shifted positions so that she could see her father eye-to-eye. The two of them remained silent as they lovingly regarded each other. She couldn't pull her eyes away from him and drank in every detail._

 _She didn't know it…but Optimus could in that moment, almost see her as a sparkling again…his tiny child gazing up at him as though trying to memorize his face. It brought back so many beautiful memories._

 _Rayne on the other hand could only hope she remembered this unusual encounter upon awakening. She rested her head against his broad chest and was stunned to hear something amazing and very familiar._

" _Father! I can hear your spark beating!" she exclaimed with profound awe._

 _A rumbling laugh filled the air. His laughter made her smile and a small laugh of her own soon escaped her lips. His optics were twinkling with mirth._

" _Indeed. And I can hear yours too, my child."_

 _Content to simply be held in his arms, she leaned further into his embrace and closed her eyes, listening to the strong, steady, rhythmic thrumming of his spark-beat. It made Rayne feel safe and secure. It began to lull her to sleep..._

" _I've missed you…" she mumbled as she basked in his warmth._

" _I've missed you most," he stated softly as he showered her with his affection._

 _Rayne hoped that the moment would never end. Until her father just had to ruin it…_

 _After a few minutes, he gently pried her away so that he could look at her square in the optic._

" _I'm sorry my child…but I'm afraid you are going to wake up soon."_

 _Panic flared through her spark and she shook her head vehemently as tears began to brim within her eyes._

" _NO! Please…I want to stay with you. I don't want to leave! I want us to stay together forever…" she pleaded and begged._

 _His face fell and he looked sad. He pulled her close against his chest and as he did he mumbled softly in her ear. The soft pulsing and thrumming of his spark calmed her considerably and most of the panic that she'd been feeling quickly melted away._

" _I wish the same, my little spark…but dreams don't last forever. I promise…one day we will be able to be together forever. Just trust in your faith and have hope. I love you more than you could ever know…"_

 _Tears cascaded down her face as a sob escaped her throat. She snuggled further against him and refused to let him go._

" _I love you too, father."_

 _Soon the dream began to fade away and she felt herself being pulled back to the land of the waking. She cried out, reaching a hand towards him in despair as she was ripped further and further away from his loving arms._

 _Then a soft, warm, loving spark pulse flooded their bond and set her heart aglow. Her father empathetically reminded her that he loved her…and that they would be together again soon._

Rayne jolted awake with a gasp. Her eyebrows knit with confusion when she brought a shaking hand up to touch something wet upon her cheek.

 _What on Earth…?_

Seconds later her eyes widened in realization.

 _Tears._

She'd been crying…

Rayne knew in an instant that she'd just dreamt something remarkably profound…but to her frustration, couldn't remember what it had been about. A few minutes passed. Then like lightning, her spark flared in her chest and memories of the dream came flashing back to her mind in vivid detail.

A gasp of startled surprise passed her lips and tears began to fall. Tears of great joy…and of sorrow. She remembered the all-encompassing love her father sent through their parent-child bond…his love for her. It was pure, powerful, unbridled, and beautifully overwhelming. She reached through their bond until she felt him and sent him all the love she had for him. A message quickly followed.

 _I love you, father. I miss you…so much._

A soft, answering pulse filled her chest, bringing a small smile to her face.

He had heard her.

Rayne tried to pull herself up to her feet but her body felt incredibly sluggish. She remembered what Soundwave had done to her and frowned with disgust when she realized she was still mildly sedated.

 _How inconvenient…_

That wasn't going to stop her though. As soon as Rayne realized she was no longer shackled and once the absence of that accursed slave collar became known…the defiant young woman began to devise a plan. She wasn't going to let anything stop her or get in her way.

There was only one person on her mind now. Her spark ached terribly…all she wanted was to be in her father's arms again. It was decided then. Come hell or high water.

Rayne Payton—was going to escape…

* * *

Optimus Prime slowly awoke from recharge. His blue optics brightened. He was amazed.

He got to see her again…

 _His little spark._

A smile gradually blossomed on his face. Thanks to their shared dream, made possible only through their parent-child spark-bond, he could almost remember what it felt like to hold her in his arms again.

He was in the process of standing from where he was currently seated on his berth when the unthinkable happened…

He lost his footing and was hazardously thrown against the far side of the room. _The Maximus_ violently lurched as the emergency reverse thrusters were fired, drastically slowing their forward momentum. The red strobe lights and warning klaxons were triggered as the ship creaked and groaned in angry protest. The lighting flickered briefly as Optimus rose back up to his pedes. He braced himself with a hand against the wall as the ship shuddered, a result from the warp drive shutting down.

Optimus checked his internal chronometer to confirm the exact time and date. A pensive frown crossed his face. They were not due to arrive in Earth's orbit for another eight days. That could only mean one thing.

 _Something had gone horribly wrong…_

The Autobot leader sprinted out of his quarters and contacted Prowl via com as he headed for the bridge.

::Prowl! Deactivate those blasted warning klaxons!::

Rather than answering his commander over the com, Prowl responded by following the Prime's direct order. He hit the kill-switch that deactivated all visual and audial emergency alerts throughout the ship.

In seconds, Optimus arrived and took his place on the bridge. He barked out an order amidst the chaos as the Autobots currently assigned to their stations scrambled to figure out what went wrong and to hopefully find a solution to their current dilemma.

"Prowl, status report! Why have we stopped?"

"From what I can gather, we warped through the tail of a rogue comet. Ice and meteor fragments have penetrated our hull and breaches have been reported by crew in the lower decks. The warp-boosters have been irreversibly damaged…" Prowl paused as he skimmed through his data-pad. He didn't have to continue his report however since the forward viewport began to flash red error messages.

Every Autobot on the bridge paused in their tasks to focus on the emergency alert memos.

Optimus's optics widened and he felt his spark sinking as Teletraan began to list on screen the extent of the damage their ship sustained.

" _By the Matrix_ …" Optimus whispered. Things just went from bad to worse.

* * *

 _Autobot Nebulon-Class NB-4 Assault ship: Designation "Maximus"- PRIMARY SYSTEMS ON STANDBY: Emergency protocols initiated._

 ** _/DAMAGE ASSESSMENT PRIORITY ALPHA/_**

 _ION-DRIVES_ _—status: Offline, critical system damage._

 _SUB-LIGHT ION-DRIVES_ _—status: Shutdown imminent._ _ **WARNING! - Energon leak detected! Main fuel**_ _ **line ruptured**_ _. Immediate repair recommended!_

 _WARP-DRIVE_ _—status: Offline, systems overheated. Coolant flush recommended._

 _WARP-BOOSTER_ _—status:_ _ **Error!**_ _ **Error!**_ _ **No such component detected**_ _._

 _OMEGA-DRIVE_ _—status: Inoperable. Warp Booster components required._

 _DEFLECTOR SHIELD_ _—status: Critical damage sustained. Energy levels at 35%._

 _ENGINE SUBSYSTEMS_ _—status: System damage. Shutdown recommended. 55% power remaining._

 _HULL INTEGRITY_ _—Status: 79%...hull breaches detected in decks five and seven._

 _MAIN POWER GRID_ _—status: Moderate damage sustained to primary conduits. Emergency protocols activated. Subroutines engaging…Auxiliary power grid online._

* * *

All optics turned to look at Optimus expectantly. It was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The leader of the Autobots released an aggravated growl and brought a hand up to massage his temple. He felt a processor ache coming on.

"Our sub-light Ion-drives are our main priority. I need a repair team to plug that energon leak immediately," the Autobot leader ordered somberly.

"I'm on it!" Jazz saluted before running off the bridge to recruit a repair team.

Optimus activated a ship-wide com-channel and made an announcement.

"Attention Autobots, as you are well aware…our ship has sustained heavy damage. We are currently stranded a few dozen light years shy of the Milky Way Galaxy. Wheeljack and Perceptor…report to the bridge for an immediate debriefing. I want all crewmates who have sustained injuries to report to the med-bay immediately. I request volunteers to aid in our repair efforts. I am uploading a sign-up roster to your personal holo-pads. Thank you, my friends. End transmission."

The overhead com-system deactivated and much to Optimus's relief, it did not take long at all for Wheeljack and Perceptor to answer his summons.

"Perceptor…can you give me an estimated repair time?"

"Why, yes Optimus. According to my calculations after reviewing the damage report, I estimate a total repair time of 10 Nano-cycles so long as repair teams consist of at least three individuals."

"Optimus…without the warp-booster, the Omega-drive will remain offline. Take a look at this…" Wheeljack flipped his hand held surveillance screen around for his commander. On screen, the visual damage came into full focus. Wheeljack used the touchscreen to zoom in on a heavily sparking area on the belly of their ship near the aft of their Ion-drives.

" _By the Maker_ …the warp-booster…it's gone…" Optimus stated softly as his optics widened in horror.

"Without that component…it's going to be impossible to make it to Earth within the 8 day timeframe," Wheeljack responded grimly.

Optimus sent up a fervent prayer to Primus while attempting to will his erratically beating spark to calm as the stress over their delay began to agitate him. Now was not the time to panic. He had to remain level-headed for the sake of his Autobots. He finally asked the dreaded question.

"What is our new estimated time of arrival?"

Wheeljack and Perceptor glanced at each other and shared a knowing albeit sobering look. They both turned to face Prime. Perceptor couldn't bear to look his leader in the face and stared glumly at the floor as Wheeljack softly answered for him.

"With the Omega-drive out of commission, we will only be able to utilize the primary warp-drive. Our new ETA…" Wheeljack trailed off as his optics turned from his datapad to lock on the distraught face of his commander. He clearly didn't want to be the bearer of bad news.

"Tell me. I must know," Optimus ordered softly. He knew in his spark that the answer was going to cause him a great deal of distress. Of course he normally succeeded in appearing outwardly stoic and reserved. For the first time in mega-cycles…Prime knew he was failing as the cruel reality of their misfortune came crashing down on him.

Optimus was right in his assumption…the answer felt to him like a hot, energon blade had been thrust through his spark.

"At the rate we're going…our new ETA… _is 92 days_."

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"I wish I wasn't. I'm sorry Optimus…"

Prime turned away from them, his expression neutral. Inside he was screaming. Only his closest friends could see right through his emotionless façade. Optimus was too lost in his inner turmoil to realize that he had already dismissed his two science officers as he stared forlornly out of the forward viewport. In the distance, he could see the slow spiraling of the radiantly glowing Milky Way Galaxy. They were so close…and yet so far.

 _They wouldn't be arriving back to Earth for_ _ **3 months**_ _?_

And with that grave revelation…the blade within his spark was violently and mercilessly twisted.

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! :D I'm already writing the next chapter. I've been sick a lot and work is killing me. I will try to post again soon! Please add the story to alerts and favorites to stay tuned.

 _ **Side note to my guest reviewer "V":**_ _I wasn't able to reply to your review but I will here. Thanks for your feedback, I'm glad you like the story. You are right, there are a lot of Optimus father-daughter stories that lack the conflict I incorporate. To me, a story is boring if everything is sunshine and rainbows all the time. Let's face it…that's not how the real world works, lol. Without conflict, characters become stagnant and the plot dies. Don't worry, there will still be fluffy moments as time progresses. My top priority right now is getting Rayne out of the kill zone…Thanks again for reading and reviewing! ^.^_


	7. How The Tables Turn

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post another chapter. I was in the hospital for a little while. I want to make a side note that in the first chapter, I mentioned it was an EPILOGUE...I meant to say PROLOGUE. That has been bothering me ever since I noticed my mistake. I would go back and fix it but because I complete my final edits for new chapters on this website...some things are added last minute and for some reason the website doesn't always let me copy and paste my posted chapters to Microsoft Word. :/

Thanks so much for adding me to your alert and favorites! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own the scientific data regarding the Golden Gate Bridge or the quote regarding the engineers. Just so you know, I try to take the time to research certain places and things that I want to integrate with the story. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Cybertronian Time Units:

Astro-Second = 2 minutes

Astro-Minute = 10 minutes

Nano-cycle = 120 minutes (2 Hours)

Astro-cycle = 100 years

Deca-cycle = 1,000 years

Mega-cycle = 10,000 years

Cosmo-cycle = 1,000,000 years

 **CHAPTER 6**

Blood red optics re-activated illuminating the shadows with an eerie nightmarish glow. Sharp, pointed denta gleamed maliciously in the dim lighting as a wicked grin steadily grew wider upon the face of one of the universe's most sadistic villians.

Megatron slowly sat up from where he'd been recharging and emitted a soft, dark chuckle.

 _So…the child returned. How intriguing…_

The leader of the Decepticons rose back up to his pedes and stretched stiff servos. He recalled the spark bond dream with remarkable clarity. Ever since Unicron resurrected his spark, he was granted great albeit dark power beyond mortal reckoning. He now possessed abilities he'd never known before. Powers that many humans would come to recognize in a spiritual and biblical sense. Megatron now had a new way of communicating with Prime's child…

It would seem that the girl did not fully remember her past. Well…he would do everything in his power to help the child reclaim her lost forgotten history. Oh, there were so many delicious memories that the two of them shared. Another sick grin crossed his face at the thought.

With a wicked laugh, Megatron left his personal quarters. After grabbing some energon and refueling, the towering mech took care of business matters that required his immediate attention and then prepared to depart.

It was time…

Time to introduce himself to his little captive.

He transmitted a short message, alerting his chief communications officer to prepare for his arrival.

Then without further delay, Megatron then transformed into jet mode and took to the skies above…

* * *

The tranquilizing effect of what remained of the sedative within her body was proving to be a grave hindrance. Her cognitive functions including her short term memory, decision making abilities, and motor control center were severely hampered. Rayne was currently having difficulties…trying and epically failing to think of a realistic escape plan and to her great frustration…couldn't come to a decision. It actually _**hurt**_ to think! Soundwave or some other Decepticon would most likely return long before she _did_ manage to come up with a decent enough plan.

From first glance, her current situation seemed utterly hopeless. She glanced over the edge of the recharge berth to see that she was suspended roughly 25 feet above ground level. Rayne had a gut feeling that Megatron now knew about her. Soundwave was one of the warlord's most loyal officers. She highly doubted he would keep such intel from his beloved leader. For all she knew, Megatron could be on his way to collect her right now!

 _DAMN IT!_

Her mounting anxiety made her clutch her hair with a low growl as she began pacing back and forth about two yards away from the ledge. It was very difficult…but she managed to stifle a scream of frustration. Her thoughts began to race and as her paranoia steadily mounted, her eyes darted around the room. If Rayne could see herself from a third person perspective, she would probably be tempted to laugh. She looked like a trapped lab rat searching desperately for a way out. It might have been funny if her circumstances weren't so dire.

 _Was there really no way down?!_

She stopped pacing and for what felt like the hundredth time, glanced back down over the ledge. Just as she began to despair, her eyes spotted something that she stupidly overlooked. There was a thick insulated cable running from the top side of the berth, down to floor level. The enormous cable snaked across the room… It appeared to be connected to some sort of portable power source.

 _How did she miss that?!_

Rayne would have to lower her body completely over the side of the recharge berth and use most of her upper body strength to hug the cable. One wrong move and she would be sent tumbling down to meet her death…or worse yet, hurt herself to the point of being paralyzed from the neck down if she miraculously managed to survive the fall.

Should she risk it?

Rayne nervously bit her lower lip. The young paramedic knew that she could hang on to the vertical cable long enough to either slide or shimmy down. The young woman was no fool though. It was one thing to fireman's carry a wounded human adult across the camp yard…but relying completely on her upper body strength for an unknown and potentially extended length of time? Not her forte.

The cable arced down like one of the massive suspension cables on the former Golden Gate Bridge, so at least it wasn't a vertical drop. Her thoughts wandered as she remembered the last time she'd seen the architectural marvel… _when it was still standing._

Yeah…the Decepticons destroyed that too.

Rayne released a bitter huff and couldn't help an eye roll at the thought. She'd never been to California but while the human population still controlled the satellite feeds and radio waves, they'd broadcasted footage and news reports not long before the EMP bombs began dropping on all of the major cities worldwide. All of the main electrical grids and substations were instantly fried, most of them beyond repair. Her mind, already racing with a thousand thoughts all at once, suddenly sent her reeling as a memory sent her spiraling back to the past.

 ** _-FLASHBACK-_**

 _Rayne knew that she was running out of time as she frantically stuffed the last of the water bottles she could scavenge into her bulging backpack. The college she'd been attending a mere three weeks ago was completely abandoned and deserted. What remained of modern day civilization, or at least in the surrounding region not far from the school, had become like a ghost town as residents barricaded themselves within their homes._

 _After the government shut down…everyone panicked. Her resident dormitory collegium tried her best to aid other faculty in the evacuation of all of the students but half of the student population had already gone to their respective homes in the midst of the pandemonium._

 _Now Rayne understood why it had been necessary for the government to conceal the truth regarding the Transformers existence from the public._

 _The 22-year-old already scouted the surrounding area and came to find that most of the stores and shops had already been looted. By the second week following Megatron's announcement, local law enforcement soon realized that there were just too many law-breaking citizens to deal with…and anyone with half a brain knew that human beings were dumb, panicky animals in the midst of a world-ending apocalypse._

 _Rayne knew it would only be a matter of time before the power grids failed. They would lose refrigeration and eventually plumbing now that the majority of the country's workforce was practically non-existent as at least 75 percent of the civilian population succumbed to their fear._

 _The former college student had no choice but to remain in the local area. One of the first things she'd done after Megatron hacked the communications network to announce the U.N.'s decision to banish the Autobots, was to try to find a way home. While she was still able to access the internet on her portable laptop, she pulled up a digital map and wrote down instructions that would hopefully take her to where she needed to go._

 _Until she realized something._

 _It was 475 miles from her college to her hometown in Southeastern Wisconsin. And winter was fast approaching…_

 _After delving further into research her heart began to sink as her eyes skimmed over one of the pages she was reading. It generally took about nine hours to_ _ **drive**_ _that far._ _ **With traffic**_ _. It would take her approximately 146 hours just to walk. After doing the math, her heart broke. Her journey, should she choose to embark upon it…would take her 6-7 days—but that was according to a 24 hour timeframe._

 _There was no way on Earth that she would be able to walk that distance, even if she was able to camp after an eight hour hike up the interstate each day. In all reality, the real trip would most likely take_ _ **19**_ _ **days**_ _. She would have to worry about wild animals, muggers, food and water shortages, and God-knew-what-else along the road. She had about thirty dollars in her bank account. That wasn't going to get her far…especially if western civilization was finally finished._

 _It did cross her mind to possibly hitch-hike along the freeway with the hopes someone could take her at least half the distance north...but from what she'd heard in recent days, there was a massive gas and oil shortage. Many gas stations shut down and closed. Corporate transportation vehicles that hauled the new supply meant to refill the stations, were suspended until further notice. It made sense she supposed. She could only imagine what it might look like on the freeway. Most cars probably already ran out of gas. There could be a massive pileup out there. One that could even stretch for miles, blocking the main roads. People would probably get desperate and try to siphon fuel if they hadn't already._

 _Besides, after watching a movie concerning the Zodiac killer...she vowed that she would never get in the car with a stranger she most certainly didn't know._

 _Rayne resumed packing but paused._

 _If people were already looting and stealing what food, water, and survival gear were in the local stores…what kind of horrors would she bear witness to in the coming weeks? She'd seen enough movies to know just what to expect._

 _Rayne resorted to plan B. It really should have been the first thing on her to-do-list but she had been so concerned and focused on getting home that it somehow slipped her mind. She'd been able to reach her family for at least four minutes and forty-three seconds. If only she had known…that that call was the last that she'd ever make…_

Rayne returned to the present but even as she did so, her mind continued to wander. Her brain was far too active for her liking. What in the hell did Soundwave do to her head?! No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop the flashbacks. As much as she wanted to blame him for every little thing that went wrong with her psyche, she really didn't want to give him _that_ much credit. Her mind took her on yet another unwanted trip...

 ** _-FLASHBACK-_**

 _Rayne flipped her cell phone open and hit speed dial. Everyone seemed to have the latest model and took advantage of whatever technology had to offer. She thought the idea was ridiculous…to spend hundreds of dollars on a phone. Her upbringing in a family of poverty taught her to be frugal. So she really didn't mind having a flip-phone. So long as she could talk and text, she was-as her grandmother used to say-as happy as a clam. It nearly brought tears to her eyes when it dawned on her that she might never see her again as the world slowly began to tear itself apart. A small smile did quirk at the corner of her lips though. Her grandmother explained the odd saying once. She said the reason why clams were happy, was because they were always smiling when their mouths were closed…_

 _The phone rang three times before her mother answered it._

" _Rayne? Oh, thank God! Are you safe?"_

" _Yes, I'm safe. But they shut down everything…the buses, planes, and the trains. Everything. It's a madhouse…everyone is leaving, or at least the people who can. I don't know what to do."_

 _Rayne suddenly heard a deep, male voice speaking in a hushed yet harried voice in the background. She couldn't make out what he said but she knew the voice belonged to one of her two brothers. When her mother came back on the phone, her tone of voice was calm but stern._

" _Sweetheart, listen to me very carefully. Do **not** attempt to come home. It's not safe to travel. You have a better chance if you remain where you are. If you absolutely cannot stay in the town you are in for __**any**_ _reason, head to Uncle Billy's house. You remember where it is, don't you?"_

" _Yes. He is just over the border in Tennessee. I remember."_

" _Rayne…If he isn't there, I want you to—"_

 _Suddenly the phone cut out. At first Rayne thought that the phone battery died. She ran out to the abandoned commons room in her dorm where the TV was still playing. Something had happened to the nation's communications grid. Why couldn't they get a phone connection if the satellites were still operational?_

 _She soon received her answer._

 _Rayne's face turned pale and her jaw dropped in horrified astonishment as distant screams echoed out through the television's speakers. There it was…the source of the communications disruption. And it was playing out right before her very eyes._

 _A lone reporter was on the bank of the San Francisco Bay. The Golden Gate Bridge was standing proudly in the background. It loomed behind the reporter but was still quite a distance away since the majority of the bridge was being captured and yet a part of the imposing marvel stretched out of camera range on the right hand side of the screen._

 _The cameraman, who was filming had been focused solely on a reporter who was in the middle of interviewing a few citizens that were claiming that they bore witness to recent nefarious Decepticon activity, suddenly whipped the camera around to take in a terrible sight. It was like something out of a science fiction movie…_

 _Large, spheroid, bluish-white balls of light were dropping out of the dark, cloudy night sky. The brilliance of it all created a temporary glare within the camera lens but thankfully the operator managed to compensate for the change in lighting. They struck the city in rapid succession as the bombardment picked up in intensity. A strange crackling sound filled the air. All of the lights in the towering skyscrapers of San Francisco began to blink out. One sphere hit a tall building across the bay. Hot electricity spider-webbed across the surface as the EMP bomb made contact. For a second it appeared reminiscent to cracking glass in the midst of a hailstorm. Then it finally fizzled out. The energy blasts radiated out, spanning dozens of blocks. One by one, every city light…in windows, streetlamps, cars, and even the billboard signs advertising the latest fashions, immediately winked out of existence, bathing the city in total darkness._

 _Then one of the EMP bombs struck the Golden Gate Bridge. The impact, despite the fact the bomb_ _ **appeared**_ _to be made mostly of raw energy—(but what did Rayne truly know about the physical properties?)—caused the support beams and the accompanying suspension cables to begin to buckle and snap. The bridge swayed, tossing cars and even people over the side._

 _It was a most disturbing sight to witness and it made Rayne sick to her stomach. That bridge was built to withstand an 8.3 earthquake on the Richter scale! According to a news article she read, one scientist proclaimed that the original engineers did not bolt the bridge down because of how heavy it was. If it was so heavy, then how in the hell were those support beams failing like that?! The buildings that were hit by the EMP blasts in the city didn't show any signs of physical damage…_

 _Then the cameraman released a startled curse and zoomed in to catch a very vague, hazy image…a shadow of something large beneath the bridge…_

 _Rayne gasped and brought a hand up to cover her mouth. She knew exactly what it was… it was the bipedal shape of one of the Cybertronians. A Decepticon most likely. It was impossible to identify the individual in question since it was so dark, but she could make out the actions of the burly mech. He was punching the support beams…the steel was practically melting like butter beneath his fists!_

 _By that point, Rayne didn't really care what the reporter was saying. She had tuned him out minutes ago. In this case, these images were beyond a thousand words._

 _Then quite unexpectedly, the reporter began swearing and the camera fell to the ground with a small clattering thump as the cameraman was knocked down by a fleeing crowd of people. Both of the news station affiliates began to run. The camera was still rolling where it was laying sideways in a small patch of grass._

 _The last image that was broadcasted, was that of the bridge finally collapsing as an EMP blast detonated not far from where the news team had been standing minutes ago. The city was truly bathed in darkness as the last headlight from the nearest car along with every conceivable electronic device within a hundred mile radius, was permanently knocked out of commission. A small shockwave of raw energy rippled out from the blast zone and slammed into the camera. Static instantly filled the television screen._

 _ **Shit. If they were hitting the major cities with the EMP bombs…then it would only be a matter of time before small towns like the one she was stuck in lost their electricity too. She was only half an hour away from the state capital she was residing in.**_

 _Seconds after that thought flitted through her mind, every electronic device shut off in her dormitory. With a frustrated groan, she felt her way back to her room which thankfully wasn't far off. She'd walked through the common area and to her room so many times that she really could find her way back with her eyes closed._

 _Once she reached the doorway, she habitually groped the side of the wall on the right side of the doorframe until she found the light switch and flipped it upwards to turn the lights on, only to remember that they were suffering a total blackout. She stumbled and nearly fell as she tripped over what felt like a stack of school books, and released a profane curse. Once she regained her balance and her bearings…she found her backpack and pulled out the flashlight that was concealed within it._

 _Now all Rayne had to do… was try to_ _ **survive**_ _._

Like a rubber band, her mind snapped back to the present. What the hell was happening to her?! This was ridiculous! How much time had she wasted taking an unwanted trip down memory lane? Her head began to spin and another memory from her human past, thought to have been long forgotten, flashed unbidden before her eyes.

 ** _-Flashback-_**

 _After nearly three weeks of hiding and camping out in her abandoned dormitory, she'd already begun to run out of food from the vending machines she'd raided. It was easy smashing through the glass of the machine containing all of the snacks. Of course Rayne was intelligent enough to know that chips, sweet rolls, and candy bars would not sustain her for long. No…her circumstances called for drastic measures._

 _Arming herself with a metal, aluminum bat…she began her daring escapade. Leaving the safety of her housing quarters behind, she continued to trek on. Soon the looming outline of the cafeteria building came into view. Now all she had to do…was to stealthily—_

 **NO! What was she doing?!**

This was **not** the place, nor the time to dwell on the past! _Why couldn't she seem to control it?_ Rayne snapped out of her daze and shook her head as though the action alone would solve the problem. She was beginning to feel the onset of a horrible headache and rubbed her temple with a grimace. The urgency and desire to escape flooded her senses and she leaped back into action.

There was a small horizontal groove on the side of the massive recharge berth. It was large enough to act as both a foot and a hand-hold. Exhaling a nervous breath in a pitiful effort to quell her anxiety, she began her descent. She slowly lowered her body over the ledge. She placed one foot in the rather nice foothold she found for herself and carefully eased herself down until she felt the tip of her toes brushing against the top of the humongous power cable. Milliseconds before she began to let go of her precarious perch, her foot slipped and she released a small cry of alarm as she hung on to the upper ledge by her fingers.

As scary as the prospect of plunging to her death was…it was nothing compared to the icy fear that gripped Rayne's heart as her mind began to quickly conjure up frightening scenarios of what sort of pain and misery would befall her, if Megatron ever got his evil mitts on her.

A sudden chill raced down her spine…but it wasn't from the brisk evening air that permeated through the drafty building. Because the Cybertronians constantly moved the camps from one location to another, they didn't bother constructing durable, long-lasting dwellings. If anything, it was rather shoddy in her opinion.

Rayne felt her arms begin to burn from the strain of hanging solely by her fingertips and managed to heft herself up until she was able to get a firm grip. _Now if only she could reach the cable just beneath her…_

She feebly kicked one foot out to try and get a better foothold on the enormous thing but to her dismay, only succeeded in kicking her shoe off. Now she had an even bigger issue… now that her running shoe was off, she just lost a good one to two inches in height. Her arms began to shake as she struggled to hold on as she fought back frustrated tears.

She couldn't reach the damn energy cable…and Rayne knew she wasn't going to be able to hang on much longer as her hands quickly became sweaty. She felt perspiration running down her forehead and into her eye, causing it to briefly burn. Her first impulse was to remove one hand from her precarious position to rub it. The young woman stopped herself before she could act upon it and waited for the burning to subside before attempting one last time to reach the top of the cable. Like a gymnast, she gently began to swing her lower body in order to try and hook one of her legs on it.

Her energy was quickly depleting due to water and food depravation. With one final kick, she felt her leg hook around the cable. Now all she had to do was anchor herself and let go of the ledge her hands were clinging to. Just as she began to shift her weight in order to get a better grip on her new perch…it happened.

 **She fell.**

Rayne screamed…

* * *

One of the Decepticons who had been tasked with guard duty glanced at his partner as they watched Soundwave monitoring the humans on the other side of the camp. The shorter of the two elbowed his comrade and spoke in a hushed voice.

"Shouldn't we check on the prisoner?"

The other Con scoffed at him and jerked the muzzle of his gun towards the entrance in clear annoyance.

"The only way in or out is through this door, you idiot! The human can't escape. So there is no need to check on her."

"What if something happens to it…err…to her. What if the human finds another way out? Soundwave will pound us into scrap metal if she gets away."

"Well if it will make you feel better…go check on the prisoner." The guard resumed his post and proceeded to ignore his shorter comrade.

"But I checked on her an hour ago and the human was still powered down. Humans don't require much recharge, do they? For all we know, the prisoner could be awake right now."

"Stop worrying about it. It's just one human."

Neither of them made a move. The worried sentry began to fidget nervously until the silence and the overall fact that the possibility that his paranoid ideas weren't being taken seriously by his compatriot made him absolutely fritzy.

"Well?" he stared pointedly at the taller Con as he released an irritated growl.

"Well what?!" his partner turned on him with a snarl as his ire began to reach its boiling point.

"Shouldn't we DO something?"

" _ **No.**_ We were ordered not to leave our posts. What if Megatron gave us a surprise visit? Do you have a death wish?"

"Do you?! Aren't you forgetting that it was Lord Megatron himself who ordered Soundwave, to order **us,** to keep the prisoner from harm?"

"If you don't can it, I'm going to dent your engine block…"

" **Fine** ," his partner finally consented and turned away from him. His grumbling did not go unheard… _"Don't come crying to me when something happens and Soundwave scraps you. I try to do my duty and what does he say? That_ _ **I'm**_ _the Idiot…well, when everything goes to scrap…we'll see who the real idiot is."_

Both of the sentries were startled when both Frenzy and Soundwave jerked their heads up in unison and looked right at them from across the slave camp. Then to their great confusion the two officers began to run right for them. They saluted their superiors and were just about to question their bizarre behavior when Soundwave rudely shoved both of them aside and charged headlong into the room. Frenzy was the faster of the two and was already inside before the larger Con could set one foot through the doorway.

The two sentries heard Soundwave release a colorful string of Cybertronian profanities just seconds after they heard a very terrified human scream.

The shorter guard turned to his partner and glowered at him.

"See? _I told you so…_ "

* * *

The convenient thing about sharing a mental link with Soundwave…was that whenever something went terribly wrong…Frenzy was one of the first to know about it.

As soon as Soundwave received an alert regarding their highly prized prisoner, the duo ran. The female human didn't know it yet…but Soundwave had been quite clever and very devious. While the girl was unconscious not long after her mind was probed, the Communication's officer managed to implant a small chip beneath the flesh of her left shoulder. It served as a tracking device should she somehow escape…but it also monitored her main bio functions such as heart rate and respiration. He left no physical trace behind after performing the simple operation. He'd done it countless times-on the gladiators mostly. The fact that her heart rate suddenly skyrocketed to alarming levels and her oxygen levels dropped dangerously low indicated that something life threatening was most certainly happening.

Frenzy didn't need to wait for Soundwave's command. The minibot took off like a rocket. Despite his small stature he was not to be underestimated. He was much smaller, yes. But he possessed great speed and agility that put most of the big Bots and Cons to shame. Frenzy's speed sometimes rivaled that of Ravage. Well…at least Frenzy thought so. He prided himself with the fact that he could in the very least, outrun his brother Rumble.

Soundwave never vocally praised his minibots' for their achievements. He never had to. The bond that they all shared with one another was enough and feelings sometimes spoke louder than words.

Frenzy focused on his current task and channeled his mental discipline into anticipating as well as calculating every possible scenario accompanied by an immediate resolution-Just like Soundwave taught him…

His spark clenched within his chest when he entered the room just in time to see the human **_fall_**. He leaped forward like a football champion ready to make a touchdown and outstretched his hands. The young woman, still screaming, fell into his cupped hands just as his chassis slammed into the ground. He grunted from the impact and released a small groan. A small cursory glance revealed that no serious damage had been done. Many people doubted Frenzy's strength. He was a tough little Con who in his few cosmo-cycles of life, could handle the roughest beatings and endure the same amount of battle damage that all of the other Cons and Bots sustained.

He was relieved when Soundwave came barging through the door moments later. The two Cons regarded each other silently and communicated telepathically…yet another perk to being so close to his creator.

 _ **/The human is unharmed, Soundwave/**_

 _ **/Good. Hand over the foolish child, Frenzy/**_

 _ **/No problem, boss/**_

Both of the Cons glared down at Rayne who was just recovering her lost senses. Soundwave and Frenzy shared feelings of relief with one another. They would have surely been melted alive if they failed their overlord and master.

Rayne slowly sat up with a moan and rubbed her bruised leg. The impact jarred her entire body but nothing felt broken or out of place. At first she couldn't understand how she managed to survive such a terrible fall until she felt her entire body being lifted up. Her eyes widened when she understood her situation as Frenzy held her up in his cupped hands as an offering to Soundwave.

The communications officer gently took her fragile body into his hands and glared down at her. It really wasn't much of a glare on account of his glowing red visor and face mask. The little one seemed to sense how much trouble she was in and shrank down in his palm. Her face paled and both her heart rate and respiration levels began to accelerate again. Soundwave merely shook his head, preparing to scold her for her blatant stupidity… when all hell broke loose outside.

All three occupants in the room heard the screams of startled humans, the discharging of human military assault rifles, the battle cries of the Decepticons stationed at the slave camp, and then heard the familiar sound of technologically advanced energy discharges that could only be issued, from Decepticon weaponry.

Soundwave sent a silent message to Frenzy, telling the minibot to see what was going on outside. Before Frenzy disappeared through the doorway, the larger Cybertronian transmitted a single thought accompanied by a rare depth of feeling.

 _ **/Be careful Frenzy. And return to me/**_

The little Con flashed his creator a small smile as he received and acknowledged the empathetic emotion that Soundwave briefly shared with him along with his message. They were two very distinct feelings that were rarely shared but that constantly existed just the same.

 _Overprotectiveness and adoration._

It was never truly necessary for Soundwave to openly vocalize them. His minibots already knew it.

Decepticons were not known to be all lovey-dovey like the Autobots, Frenzy knew. But what his siblings shared with Soundwave was truly special. Regardless of their affiliation in the war…despite the atrocities they committed, they weren't **entirely** spark-less like the Autobots constantly made them out to be. They still cared for each other.

Frenzy stepped out of the Decepticon barracks. His optics widened.

"Oh scrap…"

That was putting it mildly.

Right in front of him, Decepticons were waging war but not against the Autobots… they were fighting the Rebels. Those blasted humans that evaded capture— _Freedom fighters_ they called themselves.

 _ **The human resistance had finally come...**_

* * *

Author's Note: I bet you guys weren't expecting that! The next chapter is already in progress! Thanks for adding the story to alerts and favorites and for your awesome reviews!


	8. Freedom is Never Free

Author's Note: Thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter! And I thank the few who have added this story to their alerts and favorites. :D On another subject, neither Microsoft Word nor Doc manager on this site would not allow me to edit and save my time unit for Cosmo-cycle which is one million years.

 **(Side-note)** _I feel as though I've been pushed backwards in time when my writing wasn't very good. It's due to the health condition I've been struggling with. My brain is pretty slow and it takes me forever to think. You won't BELIEVE how many times my mind went blank mid-sentence even though I had the perfect thought and knew what I was going to write seconds before it happened. So my writing from now on will unfortunately be a little on the slow side since writing has become a greater challenge._

Disclaimer: Obviously the only thing I own are the fictional characters that I invent and the time units if they don't already exist. Everything else, I do not.

Cybertronian Time Units:

Astro-Second = 2 minutes

Astro-Minute = 10 minutes

Nano-cycle = 120 minutes (2 Hours)

Astro-cycle = 100 years

Deca-cycle = 1,000 years

Mega-cycle = 10,000 years

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 _-0003-10.15 A.B.-_

Night had fallen, though one could hardly tell due to the brilliant light produced by illumination flares, bright plasma discharges from the Decepticons' energon weapons, repetitive launches from the human's military grade mortar shells, and the rapid flashes issued from the barrels of the humans' automatic assault rifles.

As time progressed, the battle at slave camp Epsilon-41 slowly began to escalate. The human Rebels were putting up a decent fight but it was quickly growing apparent that they were going to lose, as one human Rebel fell after another. The screams of the injured and dying pierced through the brief gaps of barely discernable silence whenever combatants had to cease fire and take cover, or when weapons from both factions were in the process of reloading. They sought cover within the jagged, rocky configurations of a small mountain that rose to the northwest of the camp. It was the only barrier they could utilize…and unfortunately, even the thickest layers of hardened sediment and rock were oftentimes, not enough. The human Rebels who remained in one position for too long, were instantly killed. It only took one perfect shot—one plasma round—to disintegrate their natural barrier and kill the combatant in the process.

The Rebellion was still young and inexperienced…but after every battle, they grew wiser and learned from their every mistake. It took nearly two years for their militia to get fully organized, equipped, and trained. They spent countless months scavenging for compatible vehicle replacement parts, in order to repair them from the heavy damage that the EMP bombs inflicted. They raided the military bases that were not completely destroyed. They searched for weapons, Kevlar body armor, repair kits, and whatever supplies they could find—mainly medical kits, non-perishable foods, and purified water—that were still salvageable. The Rebels remained in hiding until they were prepared for their first encounter with the Decepticons…

It didn't take long for the Rebellion to realize that the odds would always be against them. Humans were fragile and in Megatron's eyes, they were nothing more than insects that needed squashing. The Decepticons had the advantage thanks to their nearly indestructible bodies—but that wasn't all. After millions of years of fighting on their own world, the Cybertronian warriors gained vast knowledge in the art of warfare and had an incredibly high degree of experience. Humans were young and had shorter lifespans by far. Many Resistance fighters did not have a military background and were never subjected to the horrors of war.

All in all…their objectives soon evolved into hit-and-run operations. It gave them a devious edge against their enemies. They were in constant motion and the Earthling's incredibly small stature, made them harder targets to hit. They had to adapt. The Decepticons were intelligent and ruthlessly cunning. They quickly learned the human militia's battle tactics and strategies, forcing the Rebellion to constantly change and create new approaches before stepping foot on the battlefield. The only way they could survive… _was to be_ _unpredictable_.

They also had another problem.

The Resistance did not have vehicles with thick armored plating. There were no tanks. Most of them were blown to bits during what some considered to be World War III, when the army bases were targeted first by the Decepticons. The Rebels only had rockets, mortars, and two machine guns. The latter did their best to lay down heavy suppressive fire upon their mortal enemies. The Decepticon slavers had the weakest armor since they were not designed for battle on the front line. Mortar shells and a couple of rockets managed to mortally wound one of them…and critically damaged two others.

 _If only they knew, that their luck wasn't going to last forever._

The unfortunate Resistance fighters that were caught in the crossfire on the receiving end of the Decepticons' gun discharges _would_ have been immediately vaporized…but the Cons did not grant them that mercy. They set their weapons on a lower setting, so that they could brutally maim and critically wound the foolish Earthlings who dared to rebel. They listened and they watched with great satisfaction and pleasure, to see the wounded humans suffer slow, excruciating deaths. They relished in their anguished and agonized screams.

One by one…the Resistance fighters began to fall. Some stained the Earth with red, a testament to their courage and their sacrifice. Others were turned to ash. All brave men and women who were willing to die to free their race and reclaim their home-world. They would be recognized as humanity's unsung heroes.

Even though the Resistance were well-organized, they still fought with guerilla warfare tactics. They constantly shifted their positions to attempt to remain out of the line of fire. The mortar operators would fire off two rounds and then move meters away, sometimes even relocating to different elevations produced by the large rocky outcropping of the mountain, just to confuse the enemy. The two machine guns the Rebel's managed to salvage from one of the military bases they'd raided, were the _**only**_ ones that they had. So just like the mortar operators, the machine gunners with the help of a single comrade, lugged their gear along with their highly coveted weapons, and retreated to a different position in order to avoid a Decepticon cannon discharge that would both kill and destroy, the gunner and the weapon.

The Resistance were not at all forgetful about the human slaves that were imprisoned within the camp. _For the time being, they merely served as a distraction…_

* * *

While the main fighting force kept most of the Decepticons busy on the frontline, in secret…a small, five man squad flanked around the enemy's perimeter and successfully infiltrated the rear of the camp.

The Resistance fighters had a secret weapon that the Decepticons' were not yet aware of. It was time to free the slaves…and they had a few allies from high places who were more equipped to take on the Decepticons than they were.

Three former Decepticons chose to abandon Megatron's cause. One of the three, Drift, changed sides months before their leader's resurrection 3 years past. The Autobots were never aware of his new allegiance since he never publicly announced it. Drift used one of his blades to disfigure the Decepticon insignia that was branded on his thick armored chest plating, denouncing his former ties with the Cons.

The other two chose to go rogue and pledged their allegiance to neither side. Even though Barricade and Dreadwing refused to take sides in the Autobot-Decepticon conflict, they did eventually agree to assist the human Rebels. They merely wished to remain on Earth… _ **peacefully**_ but soon realized that there would be no peace unless the humans were able to reclaim their world. Megatron's insatiable and lustful desire for absolute power only proved the warlord's insanity. The three Decepticon traitors were very much aware of Megatron's plans to either conquer or destroy every world in the universe so he could claim it for his own. It looked like Earth was the first of many planets yet to come, that would face their extinction.

It was true that the three former Decepticons had no great love for the humans—merely a toleration for them. Since Megatron's hostile takeover, the three ex-Cons were forced to make their choice. They had no ship and Cybertron was still dark and lifeless without the Allspark. They realized that there was no other place for them to go. Therefore, they pledged their services to the Resistance in exchange for their future freedom—to live on the only planet they could now call home.

Jethrow Peterson, the Resistance leader and former Army Captain, was one of the five infiltrators who were finally set to initiate their highly planned black-ops mission. He pulled the small walky-talky…now modified and advanced beyond human knowledge and issued a soft order.

" _Drift…we need you to execute phase two of 'Operation Free-bird'. My comrades and I will evacuate the human prisoners and alert you when it's time for phase three. Over and out."_

Jethrow crouched down until he was down on one knee. The ground was hard and dry. It was by far, more desirable than mud.

 _-FLASHBACK-_

 _Their last rescue operation targeted one of the smallest slave camps in the region. The land was experiencing a heavy downpour by the time the Resistance made it there. All of the Resistance fighters that volunteered to follow Jethrow on the mission were eventually grateful for such rain. It helped them in the long run. It further camouflaged them within the dark of night._

 _Right as the assault began, two of the human Rebels carrying supply crates were jogging towards their assigned objective, unaware that a Decepticon had them both lined up within his sights. Jethrow noticed the danger and screamed at them._

" _Jake! Cameron! GET DOWN!"_

 _The two recruits apparently didn't hear him above the loud din of battle._

 _Jethrow's heart jumped to his throat when the Con fired his energon weapon. He was tempted to close his eyes or look away, but because he was leader—he was responsible for the safety of his team and would suffer the consequences for failing them. He chose to watch. Some would say it was due to his guilt or his belief that every death was to some degree, his fault…regardless that most of the Rebels volunteered to go. He took it very personally. After nearly three years, he finally knew both the names and the personalities of every single one of the Resistance fighters. Many of them, he could now call friend. His eyes remained glued to the horrifying scene before him._

 _Then much to his relief, the ignorant duo slipped in the mud and fell. The accident, saved their lives as two large plasma blasts flew right over where they'd been standing seconds ago…_

 _-END FLASHBACK-_

Jethrow's eyes followed the movement of an unmistakable rocket as it headed right for the camp. He had no reason to worry. It was all part of the plan. The powerful projectile was fired from a military-grade rocket launcher. The Resistance leader watched with deep satisfaction when the small missile destroyed both the main _**and**_ the backup generators. The power within the camp was permanently knocked out of commission—including the electric fence. A large pair of wire cutters made quick work of the barrier and soon the squad split up.

Jethrow casually rested an arm on his leg and waited patiently for the real fireworks to begin…

He did not have to wait long.

Drift did manage to get close to the camp and launched a small EMP grenade, similar to the larger ones that hit the cities. Jethrow watched with calculating eyes as the blast struck the ground within the very heart of the camp. It deactivated every Cybertronian crafted slave collar and all of the energy shackles that were currently being worn by the human prisoners.

Jethrow stood up and crept forward slowly until he was standing next to a shoddily constructed building. He paid it no mind and pressed his back against the wall as one Decepticon ran past his hiding spot, screeching orders. The giant being sounded greatly distressed because he kept switching back and forth between their native, alien language and then back to English. The Decepticon approached one of his comrades, demanding that they round up the human slaves.

Jethrow tightened his grip on his M-16 assault rifle and held it close to his chest with his index finger near the trigger. Normally he could easily shrug off a case of the jitters but for some reason it was difficult at that moment. He closed his eyes and willed himself to breathe slowly.

 _Time to complete their rescue mission._ He pulled out the modified walkie-talkie, which was designed and shielded to withstand any EMP blast, thanks to their new, giant alien friends who graciously shared a small part of their technology with them—and pressed a small red button.

A green light flashed four times on his device—a silent reply from the rest of his squad that they were willing to proceed. Blinding white-hot flares were blasted high in the sky, from four different positions within the camp. The two Decepticons screeched as their optical sensors were assaulted by the harsh glare, temporarily blinding them. While they were busy stumbling around trying to regain their bearings, the five-man squad burst forward from their concealed positions and began to herd the freed prisoners out through the openings they created in the fence. Once Jethrow was sure that all of the prisoners had been liberated, he brought up the rear of the refugee column. As a military man, he believed that leaders were to be the first on the battlefield…and the last man off of it.

The freedom fighters ushered them towards large transport vehicles. At first, many of the humans didn't trust them and believed the trucks, vans, and the lone Humvee to be evil Decepticons' in disguise. Jethrow introduced himself and reassured the lot of them that they posed no threat. They were just ordinary vehicles. Then using his strict, commanding, military voice…he urged them to get their asses moving. They could be spotted, pursued, and would undoubtedly face either death or enslavement if they didn't get the hell out of the danger zone.

While the vehicles drove further away from the slave camp, Jethrow couldn't stop the persistently nagging feeling…that they missed someone. _No. No that wasn't true_. He and his men made sure that no one was left behind.

 _If it was true…then why wouldn't that horrible feeling go away?_

Suddenly a quick message filtered through the communicator attached to the belt on his cargo pants, startling him. The sounds of battle filled the background and the female who was trying to reach him had to practically scream, just to be heard.

" _SIR! Help just arrived. We are ready to proceed with phase four!"_

"Acknowledged. Stand-by for instructions."

Jethrow had to squint through his night vision binoculars due to the continuous light show in the distance and took sight of the 'help' that his officer was referring to.

Dreadwing and Barricade had arrived on the scene. They displayed a ferocity that put the Autobots _AND_ the Decepticons to shame. Drift told him once that those two were considered to be some of the most ruthless Decepticons in Megatron's army. Regardless of any wounds they sustained, they would never surrender and they would never die until they saw every single last one of their enemies dead. With furious roars, they joined the fray unblinkingly, quickly turning the tide.

Now the resistance had a fighting chance, to make it out of this conflict alive.

Jethrow sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose with a thumb and an index finger. Going against his better judgement…he issued the order. To proceed with the final bombardment of what remained of the still standing structures in the camp. Mortar rounds were launched in the distance and began to rain destruction upon the former slave camp.

They launched one final mortar round and watched it successfully hit the last building…Never knowing…that there was one human left, still trapped inside.

* * *

 _ **-17.5 minutes prior to phase two of 'Operation Free-bird'-**_

Soundwave called Frenzy back into the room. Unfortunately he did not have the time to sedate the girl and Frenzy was devoid of a hologram and therefore could not accomplish the task.

Even though the Decepticons' outside had the advantage due to their size and the complexity of their energy weapons, he knew that a good number of them were rather incompetent. The number of visits to the slave camp by Megatron's officers was a testament to that fact.

" **Frenzy, keep the child here. Do not let her out of your sight…"**

The little mini-bot nodded his head in the affirmative.

Soundwave then looked down at Prime's human daughter. His visor brightened as he growled out a warning that promised pain should she choose to ignore it.

" **Do** _ **not**_ **leave this room, youngling. If you foolishly do so, you will come to learn that there are far worse things to fear than death…"**

The Decepticon Communication's Officer, boldly bolted out of the door to join the fray. Rayne huffed in frustration and sat down on the power cable that ran from the large berth to the floor where she was currently standing. Frenzy crossed his arms and didn't remove his gaze from her.

Rayne began to fidget uncomfortably as the sounds of battle grew nearer. She gave Rumble a worried glance.

"I know Soundwave ordered you to watch me…but shouldn't you be fighting out there with him? Doesn't he usually need your help?"

Frenzy vented in what sounded like a derisive snort. He glared at her although his optics were covered by a red visor, similar to Soundwave's and shook his head.

"Nah, the boss can handle himself just fine. After cosmo-cycles of fightin', I aint' worried 'bout him."

"I see."

She had no Earthly idea what a cosmo-cycle was. Her first instinct was not to ask since it seemed that Frenzy had no real desire to talk to her. Her child-like curiosity arose to the surface. She waited another three minutes and then asked.

"What's a cosmo-cycle?"

Frenzy's first impulse was to give her an incredulous stare and start insulting her intelligence. She used to be Cybertronian like him...and she didn't remember the time units they frequently used? He remained silent for five minutes. Rayne figured he was not going to honor her question with a response. Then he spoke.

 **"It's a time unit, equivalent to 1,000,000 of your Earth years."**

Rayne was curious to know the rest of their time measurements but decided not to push her luck. The duo sat in awkward silence for a good three minutes and was eventually broken by Rayne's soft voice.

"Are Rumble, Lazerbeak, and Ravage still alive?"

Frenzy uncrossed his arms and frowned at the question.

" **What's it to you?"**

Rayne shrugged with a timid smile.

"Just curious."

" **It's none of your business!"** Frenzy snapped with an angry scowl. He glanced away for one second until he remembered his orders. He turned to face the girl, only to see that she now had her back turned to him and was slouched over with her elbows propped by her knees. She had two fists pressing against both cheeks, as though bored…and completely ignored him.

Frenzy rolled his optics beneath his visor. _Why did humans have to get so emotional all of the time?_ He began to walk towards her, with the intention of answering her question, if not out of common courtesy. He knew he didn't have to but there was something about the human femme…that made him want to oblige her innocent query, even though he knew that in spark, she was still Prime's daughter. He stood silently for a moment as though debating if he should even open his mouth at all. He studied her while she had her back turned to him. _She was so small now...so **fragile**._ She was no threat. Not anymore. He made a sound similar to that of a human clearing their throat to get her attention.

Rayne turned around to regard him and remained silent. He obviously had something he wished to say. She gave him a small half-smile as he approached. Frenzy opened his mouth but was never given the opportunity to speak, because in that very moment...

 _ **...The world around them exploded.**_

Rayne screamed as she was pitched violently forward. Her head slammed against a metal pipe. Stars exploded in her vision, stunning her. She felt something wet trickling from her head down her cheek and reached her fingers up to touch it. When she pulled her digits away to look at them, she was greeted with the sight of bright, red blood.

 _She now had a head injury…_ _ **great**_ _._

Frenzy was knocked over by the violent blast of another nearby mortar shell. He cursed a string of profanities as he crawled back up to his knees. Half of the building they were in was blasted apart and the walls that were not entirely destroyed began to cave in. A dangerous creaking sound suddenly filled the air. Frenzy looked up and stared in horror to see that what remained of the roof above them was about to collapse…

Rayne released an indignant cry when something hard bowled her over, seconds after crawling into a kneeling position. She saw a shadow above her and craned her neck around to peer over her shoulder. She was greeted with the soft red glow emanating from Frenzy's visor. Large pieces of debris began falling all around them. Rayne dropped to her knees beneath the mini-bot's chassis and covered her head with her arms. It was a little silly, she knew, now that she was completely shielded beneath Frenzy's larger body.

Then her viewpoint regarding the matter swiftly did a 180. Now it sounded like the Cybertronian and the man-made debris were falling directly on top of Soundwave's little minion. He was crouched down on all fours and grimaced every time his body was struck. A large metal beam fell across his backside, adding more weight to the wreckage that already accumulated above him. As the avalanche mercilessly continued to bury them alive, Frenzy began to grunt from the strain as his arms began to shake.

Rayne gasped and her eyes widened in fear when Frenzy's arms began to buckle. He struggled to remain upright…if he succumbed to the heavy pressure weighing down on him, he would undoubtedly collapse right on top of Rayne and kill her. She grimaced at the thought…

 _That would be a messy way to go._

Just as suddenly as it started…it stopped. The battle was still raging outside and the sounds were easier to identify now that the entire Cybertronian sized structure completely collapsed. The two lucky survivors soon found themselves facing a dire dilemma…

" **I…I-I can't hold it much longer!"** Frenzy warned with a desperate edge in his voice.

Rayne couldn't believe that in that moment…she actually felt compassion for the mini-bot. She encouraged him.

"I remember something from my past. Megatron told me once, that only the strong survive. Don't give up! Or everyone will see you as a weakling who _deserves_ to die!" Rayne glared at him in challenge.

Frenzy released a startled shriek when his shaking arms nearly gave out. The result was terrifying… Now Frenzy's chassis was a mere three feet above Rayne's head. The young woman could hear strange sounds emanating from the little Con. There was the rapid cycling of air through his cooling vents as Frenzy continued to endure the near crushing pressure of the tons of metal and bricks that once supported the walls and the roof of the Decepticon barracks.

She heard the small creaking and minute rattling emanating from his arm joints…and she both heard and felt the hissing of hot air that was being vented from the small Con. It was not hot enough to harm her…but it was a bit uncomfortable. The air blowing across her face, was like an air conditioner that had been reformatted into a very large hair dryer. Frenzy's grunting soon turned into what Rayne could only describe as a pained whimper…

The paramedic did her best not to panic…but from the look of things, it was inevitable that the little Con was going to collapse at any given second. Her eyes searched frantically around them. There was a hole that led through the large chunks of debris to her right. Jagged pieces of metal and strewn concrete created a daunting tunnel. She would have to gingerly make her way through it if she was to make it out alive.

It was risky, but if she wanted to escape…now was the time. Before she could take a step, something stopped her. Her eyes locked on to Frenzy's small red visor and she frowned. Even though he was a Decepticon…she didn't want anything terrible to happen to him. She was torn as her eyes darted repetitively from his face to the tunnel.

Her face fell. What she was going to suggest would undoubtedly seal her fate as Megatron's prisoner. Sometimes, she wished she wasn't so damn caring all of the time. There were days it absolutely disgusted her. Maybe it was the simple fact that Frenzy didn't harm her…or maybe it was because he risked his own life to protect her. Sure, she knew the little Con was ordered to keep her safe…

Did she feel the way she felt just because Frenzy was much, much smaller than all of the larger Cons? He did seem far less intimidating. Rayne wasn't stupid though. She knew better than most that appearances could be deceiving. _Was it because she_ _ **really**_ _cared_ …or was it the potential guilt that she knew she would have to live with for the rest of her life, if she allowed her protector to perish? For some reason, Rayne felt obligated to repay him. A life for a life…

She grimly looked up into the pained face of the small Con.

"Call Soundwave. He can get you out of this."

Frenzy's voice was strained as he focused his gaze upon her.

" **A-already tried…h-he can't come."**

Rayne was surprised to see the same internal struggle waging inside of Soundwave's minion that she herself had been facing just minutes ago. At last, he came to a decision.

" **G-go…get outta here. I can't hold t-this up any longer."** He ordered with a slight grimace of clear discomfort. He knew it was far better to allow her to escape, than be the cause of her death. Megatron would undoubtedly turn into a raving, bloodthirsty, rage monster for losing her…but at least Frenzy knew that both his life and Soundwave's were not going to be terminally jeopardized. Their true failure was if Rayne died.

She gave him a small nod in thanks and began to retreat towards the small tunnel she'd spotted. She slid to an abrupt stop when Frenzy shouted her name. Rayne hastily returned to him knowing that time was of the essence.

" **T-take these…Soundwave told me to keep them locked away."**

A small barely noticeable compartment popped open from the outer casing of his chest armor to reveal something that Rayne had been sure she'd never see again…

"My rescue gear! Thank you!" She had to crawl to reach her proffered items and then glanced up at the little Con with a smile. A curious thought occurred… "Frenzy? Why are you helping me?"

He ignored her question.

" _ **Do you want to live or not?!**_ **Take your stupid Earth coverings and** _ **get the hell out**_ **!"** he hissed with fury.

She immediately pulled on her combat boots, carbon fiber gloves, her vest that remarkably still contained her medical supplies, then the elbow, knee, and shin guards. Her helmet was the last item. Hopefully it would protect her head from any loose debris. A small frown crossed her face when she realized something. Her HUD wouldn't work without the damn slave collar…

Well there was no way in hell that she would ever put another one of those Primus forsaken things on willingly. She'd spent enough time as a slave. Now that she was free, she vowed that she would do everything within her power to ensure that others who suffered her fate, were finally released from a life that was bound by the cruel oppression of the Decepticons. Now she understood Optimus Prime's— _her father's_ —infamous quote _._ A catch phrase that most likely sent Megatron into a tizzy fit of unbridled rage whenever he heard it. It probably served to constantly fuel his hatred of her father.

" _Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."_

Her father was right. She believed it now more than ever before. Rayne finished gearing up and after reaching the mouth of the tunnel entrance, she glanced back at Frenzy with some concern.

"Frenzy, are you sure you're going to be—"

" **GO!** **GET OUT!** **Unless you have a _death wish_!"** the mini-bot snarled fiercely.

Rayne took her cue to leave. She got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl her way through the hazardous wreckage. Sometimes she had to crawl on all fours…other times she had to crawl in a prone position, which was a bit uncomfortable since the ground wasn't completely flat. Belly crawling over bricks—some intact, while others lay in fragmented pieces—sometimes hurt despite the protective rescue gear she wore.

Soon the young woman reached the part of the tunnel filled with jagged shards of metal jutting from the 'ceiling' and the 'walls'. Her heart began to pound loudly in her ears. She tried to swallow but to her discouragement, discovered that her mouth felt as dry as cotton. It was no doubt due to rising anxiety. When was the last time she'd consumed at least eight ounces of water? She couldn't remember.

Rayne returned to the present and took off her gloves in order to wipe the sweat from her palms. She heard a shriek from somewhere behind her followed by the sound of crashing metal and wreckage falling. If Rayne had to hazard a guess…she suspected that Frenzy collapsed, no longer able to support himself. Now that her tunnel entrance was blocked off…she had no choice but to move forward.

Rayne looked at the potentially life threatening path before her. _Why did this have to be her only evacuation route?!_ She growled softly as she put her gloves back on. The longer she delayed, the more pronounced her growing fear would be. Taking and exhaling a shaky breath…she sent up a silent prayer and began her perilous mission.

Maybe it wasn't as dangerous as she made herself believe. Rayne then did the worst thing that most others knew **not** to do. The young woman should have remembered it since she was an avid movie fan before the world went to hell. She asked that famous question…

 _How hard can it be?_

* * *

 **-7 Minutes prior to phase two of 'Operation Free-bird'—**

Soundwave was _through_ commanding the brainless, incompetent fools that tried to pass themselves off as warriors. Many of them did not have military discipline and therefore did not excel at following orders. It was clearly obvious that they preferred to destroy the human Rebels their _own way_. So Soundwave did not feel any pity for the mechs that allowed themselves to be severely injured by those weaker than themselves.

Deep down, it made Soundwave angry. They proved themselves to be nothing short of a laughingstock! They didn't deserve to wear the Decepticon sigil. Soundwave did not hesitate to kill the Decepticons who dared to retreat from the battle. He had to destroy at least two of them! The first one he snuffed by ruthlessly severing a main energon line in his arm before bashing his cranial unit in with a nearby pipe made from a rare Cybertronian alloy. It forced the fool to shut down into emergency repair stasis. That Decepticon would never online again.

As for the second, Soundwave mercilessly ripped open his chest panels to reveal his spark chamber, then used his concussion blaster at point blank range and sent one concentrated burst through the deserter's spark. _That Decepticon…wasn't his designation Shockdrop? Soundwave honestly didn't give a frag_. What disgusted him the most, apart from their disloyalty, was the fact that both of them **begged** …they _begged_ him to grant them clemency. A true Decepticon would never beg for mercy!

The Decepticon officer went rigid when his sensors picked up an unknown Cybertronian, steadily approaching the camp. Their intentions were unclear. He needed to investigate.

He gladly left the other dimwits who passed themselves off as warriors, far behind. He was not going to sparkling-sit grown mechs.

He knew that Frenzy was doing his job. Nothing felt out of place. Although for a moment he sensed Frenzy's irritation and impatience. He most certainly had his little hands full. Soundwave neared the proximity of the odd Cybertronian presence. Even though the sky above the camp was aflame with light, out beyond the boundaries of the camp perimeter it was pitch dark. He transformed with a series of mechanical whirs and clanks, folding down into his primary alt-mode.

He appeared to be a non-sentient, human vehicle. His alt mode was a 2007 Navy blue H2 Hummer. He began scanning the area, until he pin-pointed the exact location of the approaching intruder. He had to bite back a fearsome, blood-thirsty growl when the identity of the individual was finally confirmed.

 _ **Drift.**_

The only one out of the three Decepticon renegades to boldly declare his new allegiance with the accursed Autobots. All Decepticon deserters were marked as traitors. The penalty for such, was _**death**_. Soundwave was more than willing to uphold his master's laws. The Communication's officer waited patiently, for the opportune moment to strike.

He was a bit disappointed that Ravage, Rumble, and Lazerbeak weren't with him. Lord Megatron assigned them, different duties—duties that Soundwave himself was unable to complete. He had Frenzy at least. He was greatly pleased with his mini-bot. Frenzy possessed incredible loyalty and held the competence of all of the Cons overseeing the camp combined… _within his tiniest digit_.

Soundwave's thoughts were rudely interrupted when the Decepticon traitor approached in vehicle mode, which was a sporty, orange and black 2009 Aston Martin One-77 concept car. With a brief whirring of gears, a small cannon transformed from the top his roof and was raised up to a 45 degree angle. It was aimed at the camp. A bluish-white sphere began to build up steadily in the mouth of the cannon.

Soundwave immediately recognized what it was. A Cybertronian EMP grenade! With a snarl, he began to transform. Mid-way through his conversion he dove over the electric fence, head over heels. He felt his pedes slam into the ground and combat rolled to a standing position. By the time he'd completely reverted back to bi-pedal form, Drift fired the grenade and then transformed himself to his original form. The two mechs watched as the grenade arched clear over the camp. Soundwave was none too happy when he saw the result of Drift's handiwork.

Soundwave glared at the traitor standing not far from him and balled his hands into fists. He watched intently and anticipated the deserter's first action. While he did not know or associate much with Drift in the past, he was not entirely familiar with his fighting technique. Soundwave needed to analyze his combat pattern in order to employ the correct countermeasures that would grant him total victory. Normally in battle, he would employ his four active mini-bots to distract the main target while he studied his opponent.

He was very intelligent and extremely cunning. He knew it was unwise to charge into battle without knowing his adversaries' weaknesses. In the beginning of the war, Megatron declared that if any Decepticon did not willingly charge directly into combat against their hated foes, then said Decepticon, would be severely punished. Soundwave did not follow that command. It stunned the Decepticon leader that his third in command would so openly and audaciously refuse his direct order. If Soundwave had been any other Con, Megatron might have chosen to scrap him right then and there.

 _ **He didn't.**_

Lord Megatron actually _listened_ to his Communications officer's explanation. His logic seemed sound and Soundwave never disappointed him before. In the future…Megatron watched from afar to see his TIC in action. Soundwave's strategy and the fact that he could employ the use of sharp battle tactics, convinced the warlord to sanction his officer's unique skillset. No other Decepticon apart from himself was granted that privilege. Not even Starscream, his second in command was honored such freedom. In Megatron's optics, his SIC— _though a skillful warrior_ —did not harbor the same loyalty and obedience that Soundwave was renowned for. Starscream's countless failures to terminate his master only proved that. The SIC became a dangerous liability. Of course the Communications officer gladly stepped aside to allow the former gladiator the chance to rid himself of the nuisance completely. Lord Megatron had that right as their leader.

So now Starscream was terminated…at Megatron's wrathful hands.

Soundwave studied his opponent with sharp, scrutinizing optics. Drift wasn't fleeing but he didn't seem too willing to fight him either. His body had gone a bit rigid, prompting Soundwave to begin a verbal sparring match. He sneered beneath his facemask as he recognized a tinge of fear within the traitor's optical sensors. He engaged their conversation in their own native language. Their language in his opinion, was far more fluid and was not at all rough and growly—like the human's English language was. To him it was harsh on the audial receptors and sounded much too primitive. Cybertronian's could hold a lengthy conversation in their own electronic sounding language within the span of a minute, while for a human it took perhaps three or maybe even four times as long.

" **Drift…it's been a long time."**

" **Not long enough. It's only been what…five and a half years since the war was considered to be finally over?"**

" **Megatron has been missing you, Drift. Surrender now and you will not be mistreated."**

" ** _LIES!_ I know what the penalty bears for betraying Megatron. I used to be a **_**Decepticon**_ **, remember? Try talking to me as if I am one. The promise to be spared mistreatment is a** _ **lie**_ **…just because I changed sides, that didn't alter my intelligence or my knowledge regarding Decepticon law,"** Drift hissed with narrowed optics as his body seemed to bristle, as though daring Soundwave to make the first move.

Soundwave studied him a moment and listened to Drift's shifting vocal inflections to determine his emotional state.

 _Ahhh…there was the old Drift. His Decepticon upbringing demanded him to surrender to his growing bloodlust and his dark raging impulse to FIGHT. To the death if need be._

" **How far you have fallen…TRAITOR. Every Decepticon worldwide will be hunting for you. Megatron will no doubt issue a bounty. How far do you think you can run? How long can you hide? Your days are numbered,** **coward** **."**

Soundwave was very pleased to see that his taunts and verbal jabs were beginning to awaken the Decepticon within Drift's spark and his mind.

Suddenly to their surprise, a human voice shouted through a radio speaker somewhere on Drift's person.

" _DRIFT! We are now initiating phase three! I will signal you when phase four is a go!"_

Neither mech said a word. Eventually they resumed visual contact with one another. Drift began to look a bit nervous. Soundwave did not reveal his true emotions. His deathly silence and inability to use facial expressions due to his mask and visor, oftentimes inspired intimidation. The temperature around them felt like it plummeted down below freezing. Drift was sure it was his imagination.

Then to Drift's shock and horror, Soundwave ran at him at a dizzying speed.

" **NO! STOP! Stay away or I swear by Primus that I will—"** Drift didn't finish his warning and fired off a plasma round from his Ion rifle only to watch with dread, as Soundwave used an agility he'd never seen before to dodge the blast. Drift took a few stumbling steps backwards.

The Decepticon barreled into him and knocked him to the ground. Drift soon found himself pinned in place as the Decepticon sat on his chest, holding his arms down. Soundwave then brought one hand to Drift's throat and began to squeeze, cutting off the energon flow that was meant to pump directly into his processor, making him dizzy. Even though Drift knew that Cybertronians were not capable of terminating a victim through strangulation, due to emergency stasis lock, it did not stop the spark-clenching fear. If Soundwave continued, he would be forced into stasis lock that would immediately shut down his processor and his main functions to preserve the energon that still remained. He could not allow himself to slip away! If he did, Drift knew that he would most likely awaken within Megatron's fortress where he would face his execution at his former leader's hands.

" **So…not only did you betray Megatron and your Decepticon brethren by aligning yourself with the Autobots…you've allied yourself with the human Rebels as well. I don't know what sickens me more. The humans are weak…and they will all be termin—"** Soundwave was abruptly cut off when he felt and heard Frenzy's desperate pleas for help. The distraction gave his foe the advantage.

Drift managed to lift his right leg. Soundwave was still sitting on him to hold him in place but his grip slackened. Drift performed a strong kick—his foot collided directly into the back of Soundwave's helm. The Communications officer gave a startled sound and fell off of his victim. They both rolled back up to his feet.

Drift and Soundwave immediately engaged in a one-on-one sparring match. Drift had the upper hand since Soundwave had never fought with him before. The new Autobot recruit was trained by the Decepticon's since he was a youngling. Most of the times in the past, he was sent with the second wave when engaging hand-to-hand with their Autobot foes. His specialty, were melee weapons. Specifically, the twin swords he kept sheathed and magnetized on his back. As they fought, Soundwave began to weaken. His technique soon became predictable, allowing Drift to easily counter the TIC's strikes.

 _Why was Soundwave so distracted?_

Whatever the reason, Drift used it to his advantage. He sub-spaced his rifle and pulled his twin swords from his back and expertly twirled them. He walked over to where Soundwave had fallen and stomped one foot on his chassis, thrusting one of his swords about an inch from the Con's face.

" **I've won. Surrender and I will spare you."**

" _ **NEVER**_ **."** Soundwave sneered with contempt.

" **This is your LAST chance. Make your choice."** Drift warned with a firm edge.

Soundwave was _never_ going to surrender to this scum. If he surrendered, he wouldn't be able to reach Frenzy. There was no knowing what kind of trouble his mini-bot was in or if he'd been damaged. Soundwave then did something incredibly stupid—an action taken out of sheer desperation. He batted aside Drift's blade and shoved him off of him with all of the strength he had left and then revealed a secret he'd been keeping.

He transformed into a Navy blue Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk— _stealth class_ —and blasted off into the skies. Intent on finishing Drift off, he dove down after gaining the proper altitude and locked his weapons on the former Con. Milliseconds before he could rain death upon his enemy…something suddenly blipped on his radar. He cursed and attempted to veer away but it was already too late.

The common sound associated with transformation filled his audios, the source a few meters above him.

As Soundwave was downloading information from an initial scan in order to positively identify the individual above him, a body collided with him. The being cackled maniacally. Soundwave transformed back into bipedal mode and tried to shake whoever it was off of him. He couldn't see this unforeseen enemy but now he realized he was free falling. He rarely used his jet form. He burned energon twice as quickly in comparison to his bi-pedal and his automobile disguise. His body was reformatted about a decade ago. After Megatron terminated Starscream and made Shockwave his new SIC…he realized he needed another flier. An officer who was loyal without question. So he saw fit to make Soundwave a triple changer. His Communications officer was then able to accomplish missions high in the skies above or down on the ground below. Soundwave wasn't very happy with it…but if it was Megatron's command, he would dutifully follow it.

Soundwave twisted his body around so that he was facing his new attacker. His visor brightened with recognition. Even with the wind whistling past them, he was still able to ground out one word.

" _ **Dreadwing."**_

The traitor grinned broadly at Soundwave and snickered.

" **I can see that you've missed me! How thoughtful of you,"** he jeered.

Soundwave became blind with rage although his emotion was not verbally expressed. He let his fists do the talking as he tried with all of his might to punch that smirk clear off of the deserter's faceplate. Soundwave's internal sensors began flashing a warning. The ground was rapidly approaching. Dreadwing then managed to spin Soundwave around and wrapped both of his arms around his chassis to pin his rival's arms to his sides, thus preventing the Con from transforming into his aerial mode.

Despite Soundwave's desperate attempts to break free, his opponent kept him immobile as if his life depended on it. Once they were about twenty feet away from the ground, Dreadwing let him go and used his pedes to smash into Soundwave's backside, further accelerating the Con's descent. It also allowed the ex-con to propel himself briefly upwards, giving him more time to return to his jet form. Dreadwing managed to transform and barely avoided a nasty crash as he watched the Communications officer plummet and then unforgivingly impact upon the Earth's surface. Soundwave's battered frame was laying within a small crater. His visor was cracked, his body was dented, deep scratches caused by Dreadwing's claws as he held him in a vice grip adorned his chassis, and his energon reserves were nearly depleted. That wasn't going to stop him though. While Drift had his back turned and began to walk towards the remaining Rebels who managed to survive the fight, Soundwave crawled back up. He ignored the pain as he began to limp towards the traitor with the intent to rip out his spark with his bare hands.

He never got that far. Dreadwing landed on his pedes, apparently dropping from the sky and shouted a warning to Drift, as the ex-con charged directly for the injured Soundwave. Dreadwing never got close…because in that moment…Drift took one of his swords and with immeasurable experience and with near perfect aim, he threw his sword directly at Soundwave. The blade whistled and spun deftly, end over end.

Soundwave managed to side-step allowing the blade to pass centimeters from his chest— _but the second sword_ —he never saw coming. It struck him, piercing through his chassis, cutting through circuitry, wiring, and a few energon lines. The blade nicked the outer casing of his spark chamber. The wounded Decepticon shuddered as he felt the onset of the freezing coolant that always preceded emergency stasis lock. Soundwave tried to pry the sword from his chest but only succeeded in cutting his servo.

He had no choice but to lay there, completely helpless and at his former comrade's mercy. Both Drift and Dreadwing slowly approached him. They stood and stared down at him. Dreadwing wore a frown while Drift appeared thoughtful and grim. Dreadwing reached down for the sword handle but Drift grabbed his wrist to halt his action.

" **No! Removing the blade will only make the damage worse. His spark will extinguish within the next few hours if we do."**

" **Why do you care? He's Megatron's loyal lapdog. After what they've done over the cosmo-cycles, a relatively swift termination would be a mercy,"** Dreadwing scoffed with disdain.

Drift's optics dimmed as a sorrowful frown crossed his face.

" **Were we so different? What about the atrocities we ourselves committed while serving under Megatron's command? We've never had to pay the price for the evil we have done."**

Dreadwing glared at Drift and made a gesture in Soundwave's direction.

" **What do you propose we do with him then? He now knows about us! He'll go crawling to Megatron and will report what's happened here."**

" **By the time Megatron receives the report and comes to investigate the aftermath of the assault…we'll already be long gone. For three years we've remained in hiding and he's never found us,"** Drift reasoned.

" **You really think our good fortune is gonna last forever?"** Dreadwing paused and brought a hand next to his audio receptor, his expression changing. Then he locked optics with Drift. **"Do what you want with him. I just received a com to aid the humans in their retreat,"** Dreadwing then took to the skies and returned to Barricade's side.

Drift stared down at Soundwave. _What to do with him?_ Drift felt a little conflicted. _Why should he spare Megatron's TIC?_ Maybe it had to do with the simple fact that he used to be a Decepticon himself. Did he still carry an old part of that programming—to aid and rescue any of Megatron's chief officers? It was a little tempting to finish him off…but now that he considered himself an Autobot, he knew that they didn't kill their opponents, at least the ones who were unarmed. He used to view the Autobots as weaklings and used to carry such contempt for them. After all…one of Megatron's teachings, was that mercy was for the weak. To gain glory, power, and victory…it was imperative for all Decepticons to prove their strength and earn their eternal might. Those that didn't…never survived long in Megatron's army.

Drift knew he was running out of time and needed to make a decision regarding Soundwave's fate. It was risky to lose one of his blades. Under normal circumstances, he _never_ left his signature weapons behind after a battle. If he chose to withdraw his sword now…Soundwave would most certainly die. He felt he did his part…keeping Soundwave distracted while the human commando team infiltrated the camp to free the other prisoners.

He and the wounded Con were a good distance from the slave camp. Drift knew they were out of the range of fire once the human Rebellion initiated phase four. Speaking of which… he received the order from Jethrow, broadcasted to every Rebel to wrap up the mission. He made a split decision as the mortar shells began raining hellfire down upon what structures remained in the camp.

He looked down at Soundwave with something akin to pity as he grabbed the handle.

" **This is going to hurt you a lot worse than me, pal."**

Drift swiftly grabbed the hilt of his sword that was still firmly embedded within Soundwave's chest and with one great thrust, rammed it further down. It pierced through Soundwave's backside and lodged into the Earth, keeping the wounded Con from escaping. Drift made sure that Soundwave could not reach the handle to yank it out. He crouched down next to the Con and frowned.

" **Don't remove my blade from your chassis Soundwave…or I promise you, you** _ **WILL**_ **bleed out and meet your Maker. I advise you to remain here and allow your comrades to rescue you. Be thankful I did this much…"** Drift stood and transformed. He began driving towards the fleeing freedom fighters as the last mortar shell hit the ruins of the camp.

Soundwave fought the encroaching subroutine that would enforce complete stasis lock as he turned his head to gaze at the destruction that was wrought. From the sound of it, all of the Decepticons in the camp were terminated. _Unless the cowards decided to runaway…_

He reached out to Frenzy and was stunned when he received no response. He tried again and again to communicate with his little mini-bot and felt disturbed when he sensed that Frenzy's spark had dimmed. Either he was in recharge or he was injured. Soundwave was frustrated that he couldn't reach him. The loyal Communications officer activated his locator beacon. Now that he knew that three Decepticon traitors still lived...he could not risk activating his S.O.S signal. They would find him and terminate him.

He felt the last of his energy drain away and no longer fought stasis.

 _In fact, he gladly welcomed it…_

TO BE CONTINUED!

* * *

Author's Note: Yeah, I thought it would be kind of fun to write Soundwave as a triple changer. Although it appears he is not fond of his new aerial alt-mode. XD This chapter turned out to be longer than I originally intended but honestly, I couldn't stop writing. I was afraid that if I did, my ideas regarding the plot would not survive. Even though it's gotten more challenging and frustrating for me, I still love writing!


	9. The Choices We Make

**Author's Note** : Thanks for being patient with me! I try to post a new chapter at least once a month at the latest. Just found out that because I have never-ending chronic tonsillitis and tonsil stones…I have to have surgery. My tonsils are going to be removed but I don't know when. I am going to be seeing the throat specialist this week. Due to these constant complications in life, I can't promise when I will have the next installment finished and posted. I will do my best though!

 **Side Note:** I won't post Cybertronian Time units at the beginning of every chapter unless I intend to use them within an actual chapter. Thanks and happy reading!

* * *

 **CHAPTER 9**

-0003-10.16 – A.B.

It was half-past midnight.

The battle for slave camp Epsilon-41 was over. From a cursory view, the dead bodies of the fallen human rebels, the few off-lined shells of former Decepticon warriors, and what little rubble remained of the buildings after the Resistance fighters' final bombardment were all that remained.

A small, tiny form wriggled and crawled beneath the debris created amidst the chaos of war. Rayne Payton made very little progress since the last mortar shell exploded topside. War was always hell, true enough…but what she was now facing reminded her of those horror movies—the SAW films—as she struggled to navigate her way through a virtual minefield of jagged metal, shattered glass, and the fragmented remains of man-made architecture.

The young woman was losing hope. At the rate she was going, Megatron would arrive long before she finally freed herself of this death maze. She internally chided herself with a frown. There was no sense to be panicking now. Dawn was about six hours away. As long as she kept moving and didn't hit any serious problems, she could—

"Ah, shit." Her eyes widened.

She froze and her body stiffened from where she'd been belly crawling. Her immediate attention was focused on her current roadblock. Embedded mid-way into the desert ground…was a live mortar shell. At first glance it appeared to be a dud, but Rayne knew better.

Her entire body ached after hours of twisting herself in unnatural angles to avoid cutting herself on the sharp debris all around her. Her muscles were still on fire since she did not have the luxury of a rest. Megatron was coming…and she would be damned if she remained long enough for him to catch her.

Rayne wished she was more knowledgeable when it came to military weapons. The thought arose as she eyeballed the mortar shell with caution. She wanted to join the military since high school…but because she had been diagnosed with depression, they wouldn't accept her into the service because of what prescription she was taking. They called it a 'mind-altering drug'. Rayne nearly snorted at the memory. If they wanted to deal with something truly mind-altering, all they had to do was be on the receiving end of a ten second conversation with Soundwave.

Rayne's soft, light brown eyes quickly scanned her surroundings in the hopes of finding a way around the mortar shell. She pulled the penlight out of her vest pocket and immediately switched it on. As she surveyed the area, she felt her heart sinking. The only way around the mortar shell was if she managed to dig through the hard, cracked earth beneath a leaning pipe. The good news was…it was very possible she could get out. The exit leading outside wasn't far away. The bad news was…there would be no avoiding getting cut or even hung up on the jagged shorn off sliver of the pipe blocking her only exit. Then to her grim dismay, her eyes landed on a very serious problem…

If she was not careful, the precariously leaning pipe had a very high chance of falling… _ **right onto the mortar shell.**_ Rayne growled and banged her head softly against the ground.

 _How long would it take to dig herself out! She didn't have the time for this!_

As a search and rescue paramedic, Rayne knew just how foolish and idiotic it would be to abandon all logic and reason and act purely on emotion. She knew the risks…she could injure herself _or worse_. Without knowing how close she was to sunrise, she felt a greater inclination to ignore her rational mind as fear and a growing panic began to overwhelm her senses. Her brain was brutally assaulted with dozens of questions that she'd rather not have answered.

 _Doesn't Megatron have a jet mode like in one of the other Transformer series? If so…how fast can he fly? How long would it take for him to arrive here? When did he leave his base of operations? If I run on foot…can his optical sensors spot me from dozens of miles away? Oh dear God! Will he bring anyone else with him?! There is no way I can run on foot from a seeker armada…_

That terribly inconvenient thought process was all it took to take the last straw and not only break it… _but set it on fire_. Uncaring of the consequences, Rayne began to act. Her rational mind screamed, warning her that if she didn't listen to reason-she'd do something stupid-like get herself killed. She shoved it into the furthest corner of her psyche as new thoughts surfaced.

 **NO.**

She was not going to die here.

She was _not_ going to be _captured_ here.

Megatron would **never** take her alive!

Rayne normally wasn't prone to falling into full blown panic mode. In the past, she normally kept a level head. Right now the young woman didn't give a damn.

Her hands began to tremble in anxiety as she removed her scissors from her vest. As the minutes passed, her paranoia mounted. She was far too focused in using her pair of scissors to dig to notice that her respiration and heart rate were intensely rising. The tears welling up in her eyes began to sting as her digging efforts intensified exponentially.

Rayne ripped her helmet off, her wild hair standing on end as she began to snarl when the hard, compact earth refused to be so easily chipped away. If anyone could see her now… all they would see was a terrified and desperate unrecognizable being…a person that with every growing second began to look more and more like a frenzied animal than an actual human being.

A sob got stuck in her throat when she thought she heard the sound of a jet overhead. The sound disappeared and when she heard no tell-tale sounds of a transformation…her frantic digging gained more momentum.

Rayne did not allow herself to feel relieved once the hole she dug was large enough to fit her upper torso through…because she wasn't finished yet. Soon the small pair of scissors she'd been using to dig with broke. Her eyes widened as her face contorted into an expression of aggrieved horror.

"NO! No-no-no-no-no-no!"

She lay there, frozen and unmoving as her despairing eyes stared at the broken digging tool in her hand…the only one she had.

Rayne's shock disappeared and was soon replaced with a dark anger. She was angry at her current circumstance. Angry with the realization that her escape plan might have been doomed for failure from the very start. What _really_ made her angry…was the simple fact that she was here in the first place! If she had only been faster…if she hadn't of chosen to be _**so damn noble**_ that day…she'd never have been captured by the Decepticons in the first place! And therefore, would never have been in this situation now. She pushed aside the memory for now and concentrated on the present.

Angry tears that had been long brimming, began to run down her cheeks. The salt began to burn her sensitive skin…but Rayne hardly noticed. She'd gone from relatively sane…to…well, something else entirely. It was almost as if, she was no longer in control of her body…like she was there seeing everything but through another's eyes. Rayne was frantically clawing at the dry, cracked earth with her bare hands, uncaring that she'd cut her fingers on a piece of glass that had slid down into the hole she'd created. Taking less than half a second, she plucked out the piece of glass and roughly discarded it behind her. Moisture—created from a mixture of blood, sweat, and tears stained the ground, causing the dry soil between her bleeding fingers to become softer.

Rayne stopped digging as the strange, new sensation finally registered in her feverish brain.

Her eyebrows knit into an expression of profound confusion as the frown on her lips deepened. It wasn't the wound she was concerned about. It was the fact that moisture…even what little of it she'd had…was just enough to make a small patch of the ground loose enough to easily dig through.

The hole she'd dug looked deep and wide enough now that it would permit her body to pass.

Rayne wisely picked up her helmet and shoved that down into the small crater rather than actually wearing it and pushed it to the other side of the precariously leaning pipe…where freedom awaited her.

Now came the tricky part.

The young woman allowed herself a few precious seconds to gather her frazzled wits and to take a few calming breaths before proceeding.

She slowly belly crawled and pressed her body down, face-first into the man-made divot within the earth and eased her shoulders and upper torso beneath the pipe. Rayne did not like the fact that she was unable to turn her head to ensure her foot didn't get ensnared on anything. The young paramedic had the fleeting hindsight-inspired idea that maybe she should have removed her boots.

She continued to squeeze herself through with a few soft grunts towards the looming exit, gently pushing her helmet forward with her right hand.

Soon a soft breeze hit her in the face. _Fresh air never smelled so good!_ Rayne was almost there. Her legs and feet were the last of her extremities that had yet to leave the twisted wreckage. Suddenly she heard a loud rip as clothing was torn.

She felt a small wisp of the airy night breeze come into contact with the now exposed flesh, of her lower right leg. Her eyes widened a millisecond later and a pained scream escaped her throat, as agony exploded in her right calf. Rayne clenched her teeth and hissed in pain as she shut her eyes in an effort to will the pain away. She knew from the warm, seeping blood running down her leg…that she'd sustained a gash, most likely from that damnable piece of jagged metal hanging down from the pipe.

Thankfully from what she could tell, the pipe…by some divine miracle…hadn't fallen. Rayne prayed to Primus that she wouldn't sustain further injury as she repositioned her leg, hopefully away from the metal that had wounded her. Now that half of her body was out, she used her elbows to pull herself forward. Once her legs were out, she reached a hand behind her and grabbed the fabric of her black jumpsuit pants and gently tugged her right foot out. With one last, tired grunt, she pulled her other foot free.

Rayne relaxed all of the burning muscles in her exhausted body and fell flat on her face.

" _Thank you God!_ " she exclaimed softly with a relieved sigh. Whatever claustrophobia she might have been feeling during her underground-like entrapment, was now gone.

She hugged the ground finally able to take a small rest as her aching body was gently caressed by that glorious breeze. It was very pleasant and rather comforting…at least until that terrible pain returned.

The air made her unattended wound sting and Rayne groaned with a small curse. Depending on the severity of her wound…her walking could be severely hampered. That would make it more challenging to put any amount of distance between her and the ruins of Epsilon-41.

Rayne rolled herself onto her backside and slowly sat up with a small growl as her aching arms shook from the effort. The moon was slowly beginning to lower from where it gleamed like a large white gem within the starry sky. By her estimations…well, more like an educated guess really…she had at least four hours before the sun would rise. Thankfully, with both the moon's natural light and her penlight, she was able to clearly see the severity of the gash on the right side of her right calf.

Rayne winced. _It was bad_.

Bad enough to warrant stitches. Thick, bright red blood continued to seep from the wound…some of it staining the dry soil beneath her leg. Rayne was never squeamish when it came to tending to other patients. She never thought or noticed it because she was in that 'need-to-save-lives-no-matter-what' mode.

Rayne on the other hand, could never stand the sight of her own blood and it freaked her out.

Thankfully it had been a long time since she'd been hurt…it was years before everyone learned the difference, between fiction and science fact. At that time, she'd been taken to the hospital…and the doctor had sedated her.

This time she had no such luxury.

She wasn't sure if she even had enough time to properly tend to her wound. It was only an internal excuse to avoid the inevitable discomfort that was to come. Rayne decided to implement first aid…until she found a safe place and was far enough away to feel confident enough to make a small rest stop.

Rayne went through every pocket in her vest and frowned. There were some supplies that were missing! She no longer had the scissors, since they broke…

She examined her vest and uttered a curse with clear disgust. There were a couple of rips, one beneath a pocket and one that had been slashed right through another. The small role of gauze, tweezers, and antibiotic ointment must have fallen out of them—along with her needle and thread. That only left her with her penlight, a small travel-size container of rubbing alcohol, one tiny packet of quick clot, Band-Aids, one butterfly bandage, and two small chem-lights.

Rayne tried not to panic. She knew what would happen if she didn't get the right supplies and get her wound properly tended to within the next forty-eight hours. Not to mention the fact she had no food or water. She could last…what? Three days without water? That's when Rayne's spirits fell when she remembered something. Her body had been functioning… differently… within the past few months. For some odd reason she seemed to dehydrate twice as fast as normal. That only seemed to happen on the rare occasions she felt her spark-bond activate between herself and her Cybertronian father or if she exercised and her body overheated. She was also not as hungry as she used to be.

To make things worse, purified water…or any water for that matter was hard to come by. A lot of the natural springs had either dried up or were polluted.

Rayne grimaced as she pulled out the necessary supplies needed to tend to the gash on her leg. She wished she had a bottle of pure water to wash it out with after noticing that there was in fact, dirt crusted around the wound. Anyone who was not trained in the medical arts wouldn't have seen the need to further examine the injury, since it appeared that the majority of the dirt was only superficial. After shining her penlight over that particular spot, she grimaced.

 _ **Damn…**_

It looked like particles of sand and dirt had also found their way into the wound as well. That might be a problem.

Rayne looked up at the sky to see that the moon was beginning its decent. The paramedic knew it was now or never. She ripped off the remainder of her lower pants leg and inspected the material. She shook, beat, and wiped off any gritty substances that might have clung to the fabric, satisfied only when the rough material _felt_ and _looked_ clean.

It was the best she could do.

Rayne gently ripped open the quick clot package and gently set it aside. She uncapped the small bottle containing the rubbing alcohol and was both relieved and nervous to find it was completely full.

She held the alcohol bottle directly over the gash and tried to keep her shaking hand steady. After about two minutes of simply holding it and staring from it to the ugly cut on her leg, she finally had to give herself a little pep talk…

" _Okay Rayne…you can do this. Stop being such a sparkling about it…do you want it to get infected? Do you really want to deal with gangrene later? Then stop acting like a baby and just DO it!"_ she hissed furiously at herself.

The fact that she'd just uttered the word 'sparkling' didn't even register within her mildly panicked brain…as she struggled and failed to gather the courage to necessarily cause herself more pain.

With a glare and a growl of deep resignation, she took a mouthful of her jumpsuit fabric and stuffed it in her mouth to muffle any screams. She knew without a doubt that once she poured the disinfectant solution into the deep cut, there would be no holding them in. The last thing she needed was to draw any unwanted attention to herself if danger was lurking nearby…whether it be man, beast, or machine.

With a wince, she steadied her shaking hand and psyched herself from counting all the way to three. She went straight to dumping the entire bottle on her wound on the count of one. Rayne knew that if she had counted to three, she would have surely lost her nerve.

At first, she felt nothing.

Then the sharp, biting agony hit her as the disinfectant did its work, cleansing and washing away the dirt and sand particles...killing whatever germs had already begun to multiply within. Even though she was biting hard against the jumpsuit fabric stuffed in her mouth…it still wasn't enough to completely muffle her screams of pure, raw agony.

Rayne's face turned pale and she admonished herself for taking this long to field dress her wound. After dabbing the damp area dry around the cut, she quickly poured the quick-clot into the gash and grimaced in clear discomfort at the stinging sensation—feeling thankful that it didn't hurt nearly as much as the rubbing alcohol did. She waited a few minutes until the bleeding had stopped and her wound was compacted with the blood coagulant and then took her 'clean' strip of clothing and wrapped it around her leg, keeping the gash covered. Rayne made a sturdy knot, ensuring that her makeshift bandage wouldn't come off at any time and then packed up the remainder of her medical supplies. She even kept the empty bottle that previously contained the alcohol and stuffed it in a vest pocket in the event she could refill it in the future.

Rayne gently climbed back up onto her feet with her helmet clutched in one hand and grimaced when her fresh wound throbbed whenever she applied too much pressure on that leg, forcing her to limp. The young woman glanced around in the hopes of finding something long enough to act as a cane of sorts. Crutches would have been nice. The only pair the camp had…had most likely been pulverized. The area that once housed their med-tent had been turned into a massive crater. The young woman knew that she had no time to scavenge.

And yet, she knew that if she didn't find some sort of support, there was a greater chance that jostling her bandaged leg too much would rip it open and cause an even bigger mess.

She began to heavily limp away from the decimated camp and made it about two miles. The moon was still sinking bit by bit and a very soft pink color began to appear on the eastern horizon, signaling that dawn was coming. She had maybe an hour and a half…maybe two before the tip of the sun actually peered over the Earth's edge.

 _SHIT._

Rayne had to hurry. For all she knew, Megatron was mere minutes away. She had to have made it at least another half a mile before she nearly tripped over something…

The paramedic grimaced. That something happened to be the deceased body of one of the Resistance fighters. Laying a few feet away from him just out of his reach, was his weapon. It was one that Rayne was familiar with. An AR-15…a civilian version of the military grade M-16. She knew the soldier was dead but she checked his pulse regardless. His skin was cold and it sent a shiver down Rayne's spine.

She then noticed that he was wearing an army, cameo patterned backpack.

Rayne had no desire to disturb the dead. If there did happen to be something in his pack that would aid her in her journey… _however long it would last_ …she had to take it. She gently tugged the man's arms out of the straps and slung the pack over her own shoulder after shoving her damaged helmet inside of what empty space remained. He had no further need of it. Rayne was thankful that it wasn't that heavy. She picked up the fallen warrior's assault rifle and limped through the aftermath of what remained of the previous evening's warzone. Rayne tried not to stare at some of the bodies that sustained the worst, most mortally wounded injuries and tried to quicken her pace.

A metallic glint caught her eyes in the near distance, reflected from what remained of the moon's soothing light. There was something a few meters ahead that was laying perfectly still in the grass. She hobbled over but with extreme caution, gasping at the treasure she'd just found.

It was a thin rod…one that used to be attached to some field weapon. Was it from the machine gun tripods? Rayne didn't know but she sure as hell wasn't going to continue questioning her fortunate find.

She sat on a nearby boulder…glad that the camp was no longer in sight and tore off another strip of fabric from her jumpsuit. She took the rod and tied it to the long barrel of the gun in order to lengthen it further and shakily stood back up. Rayne sighed with relief…it felt good to be able to take off some pressure from her right leg as she leaned against her improvised crutch.

The twenty-three year old released a weary sigh and began her long march through the terrain of Northern Tennessee. At least until she spotted it…a dark cave in the near distance, a few meters above the base of one of the rocky hills. Seeking shelter within a dark cave during the day without knowing what might be inside of it… versus remaining in the sunlight where Megatron could easily find her? After considering her options, she made a decision. The cave then. That was a risk she was more than willing to take if it meant escaping Megatron's ruthless claws…

With a sigh of resignation, Rayne picked up her pace. Fifteen minutes later, she stood at the base and craned her neck to ensure that yes, she had indeed made it to her destination. With a grim frown and eyes narrowed in determination, she began the climb...

* * *

Jethro Peterson left the medical wing after carrying a wounded soldier in from the recent battle. On his way out he stepped aside, pressing himself against one of the underground walls to allow one of the medical professionals to pass. He then continued towards their command hub, where his second in command was waiting for him.

It really was amazing…how they had come to this place.

Thankfully his SIC happened to be a former Navy seal. Diana Clarke was her name…and if it weren't for her, they never would have found this safe haven.

Resistance headquarters was a highly classified underground bunker made by the former United States military. Its location had never been formally recorded electronically. It actually happened to be one of three places that were once used as a fallout bunker should American soil ever be assaulted with either nuclear or biological weapons. Diana Clarke knew about it since a high ranking, two star Navy General revealed its location to her. That General happened to be her father.

Just before he was sent on what would be his last mission on Earth, he secretly imparted that information to his daughter in the hopes that if all was lost…she and perhaps others might find a safe haven there. He left her with a special key card and a combination that would unlock the underground base.

Tunnels lead from the bunker down to the sewer system where it branched out from their headquarters to Nashville Tennessee. Further north was the small city of Bowling green in Southern Kentucky, just over the border between both states. To the west was Fort Campbell. It was between Hopkinsville, KY and Clarksville, TN. Fort Campbell was once the home to the 101st Airborne Division. Surprisingly the Decepticons never had any need to hit that base. All aircraft had been launched in the early days of Earth's global counter-offensive against the hostile alien invaders. Not long after that, the base was evacuated and its operations were moved to another installation.

It was a ghost town now. One that the Rebels rarely dared to go to unless the need was dire. A Decepticon slave camp was located just twenty miles west of the former Fort Campbell. It was too dangerous during the day, even when they used the underground tunnel network, which had expanded courtesy of the freedom fighters.

Jethro paused in the doorway to look at their new flag hanging upon the wall within the command center and smiled.

 _ **The Phoenix Coalition**_

It was of course, hand-made. A large picture of a red Phoenix overshadowed that of a small red, white, and blue star-spangled Eagle. It symbolized both past and present beliefs…and it represented what they were still fighting for: _freedom_. No matter how many battles they lost against the Decepticons…the human race would always rise again. They would rise from the ashes with a mighty cry. With every shove that their enemy gave them…the Phoenix Coalition shoved back harder, sending them a clear message. The human race—despite their past failures—were not so easily defeated.

The Phoenix Coalition was the name they'd given and shared with every other resistance fighter across their broken nation. There were some militia groups who preferred to remain on constant hit-and-run operations rather than settle down in one location. They still pledged their services and allegiance to The Phoenix Coalition. In a way they reminded Jethro of black-ops soldiers. He respected them and their efforts. He sometimes received messages via a new code, reminiscent to Morse but untraceable and impossible to decipher by their shared enemy. It was created by a brilliant Air-force Colonel who used to be a communication's officer. He dubbed it, " _The Seti Code_ ". A fifty million dollar reward was offered to anyone world-wide who could break it. All who tried…failed. That money remained in the National Treasury and the code had yet to be broken by unfriendly parties.

The amazing thing about it was that the code could be visually transcribed into symbols, ones that had no apparent connection to any other language on Earth. They had to send encoded written messages to the militia forces who remained aloof whenever it was necessary to combine forces.

Thanks to Barricade's reconnaissance whilst with one of the northern militias in recent months, were able to finally locate and secure a second under-ground military bunker further west that now housed approximately 1,023 Phoenix fighters. They were still searching for the third. Until that time, they did their best to shelter as many as they could. Jethrow dreaded the day when they would eventually have to turn people away. It was in all reality, a very _good_ thing. It meant that slowly but surely, free people would outnumber the unfortunate slaves still locked away in their cages within those camps.

Shaking himself from his wandering thoughts, Jethro returned to the present and took his place at the oval table. They had no need of chairs. Chairs were a luxury they didn't require. Unnecessary furniture took up more space…space that could be better used for new recruits.

He stood upright and placed both palms upon the table, leaning slightly forward as he locked eyes with his SIC. That's when he noticed that one of their officers was missing…

Jethro raised a brow.

"Where is Miller?"

Diana rolled her light blue eyes as though annoyed but the tiny grin quirking on the corner of her lips, proved otherwise.

"You mean _Mark_. We aren't in the armed forces anymore, you know."

Jethro frowned, ever the stoic one and did not find the situation as amusing.

"Yet in a manner of speaking, we _are_. Even though we've become more of a militia than an actual military branch…we still adhere to name and rank as we would if still enlisted."

"Mark Miller _has no rank_. Even though he is the best TIC you could ever hope for! If you want to make him an official despite his lack of military training, at least give him an honorary rank if you insist on calling him _'Miller'_ ," Diana insisted as her teasing smirk grew wider.

He released a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose and conceded.

"Very well."

Jethro reached down and hit the com panel next to him to address the base.

"Mark Miller, report in."

The Phoenix leader released the button and awaited a response. It might be a few minutes before they received a reply. There weren't many com stations in the ever expanding bunker. He might have to run from one side of the compound to the other just to reach one. Unless he was yet again lost in one of his projects…

Mark Miller, despite his lack of a military background had something of greater value to offer them. He was the current chief engineer and happened to be nothing short of a technological genius. After he joined their noble cause two and a half years past and was first offered the position of TIC, he agreed to take the post but on one condition.

He desired to remain at the compound where his sharp mind and quick hands could be of most value whenever the Phoenix Coalition departed for an actual battle. Some called him a coward behind his back. He was bullied for a little while by some of the soldiers but Jethro put an end to that the day he both heard and witnessed their cruelty himself.

In the beginning, the resistance leader didn't know what to think of the young man. In the early months after Mark's arrival, he briefly met with the eighteen-year-old in the hopes of getting to know him a little better. Mark told him that he'd been fixing and building machines since he was seven years old. He graduated high-school at age 14. After that he had gone to MIT and graduated during his second year. Before the world went to hell, he once had a job as a Best Buy Geek Squad member. That job led to an even better one, where he worked as a civilian for the military as a mechanic and an electrical engineer.

Thanks to Miller, the underground compound now had a brand new communications grid. It was thanks to Mark that the com channels throughout the base worked at all. When Diana first arrived, the place was a wreck. Most of the electric lighting and com systems were fried. In all reality, Mark was a God-send. They would still be sitting in the dark, without air conditioning, heat, plumbing, refrigeration, and life-saving medical equipment. He even managed to fix some of the life support machines that had been long left abandoned or that had been damaged but salvageable on one of their raiding missions.

Jethro soon grew to love the young man over the years…he'd become like a son to him. Jethro had grown up in a military school and enlisted in the Army at a young age. The seasoned soldier was now at the prime age of 42. He'd never married and was without children. His friends would always tease him and say that he'd always been married… _married to his job_.

Jethro became Mark's guardian not long after he'd arrived on the Coalition's doorstep. He could hardly believe that his young ward was now 20.

Every time his team left to go on a scouting or raiding mission, the resistance leader never left without asking their technological whiz if he needed anything, like new tools or supplies. Mark had a good heart and never complained. He would always tell Jethro that he had all that he needed to get the job done. The resistance leader internally frowned the first time he took stock of the little toolkit in Mark's possession. Most of the tools were rusty, some unusable, and others duct taped just to hold them together. Jethro always admired Mark's selflessness…but when it came to possessing the proper tools to repair their compound, he would accept nothing from Mark but the honest truth.

Even so, there were some occasions that the young man—who was really still just a boy in Jethro's eyes—would fib a little and tell him that there was nothing more he needed. The boy even had the gall to hide one of his broken screwdrivers behind his back while telling him that! So from then on out, it didn't matter what Mark told him. Nearly every time that he returned to base, Jethro Peterson had a new, shiny silver tool in hand for him. The elder man always loved to see the young techie's eyes light up every time he was handed a new present. His child-like innocence inspired the former Army Captain. It reminded him that something so precious and pure hadn't been ripped away from their race entirely. It was sacred and it was something that Jethro vowed to protect and that he refused to lose. So he was more than happy to oblige the boy's request to remain behind to perform his duties.

A loud clatter from down the hall drew his attention. Seconds later a very, frazzled young man standing at a solid 5'9", skidded around the corner and into the command center carrying an unmarked yellow folder full of papers, some of which were falling out. Mark was dressed in his standard green coveralls and was fumbling with the wrench that he'd accidentally dropped in the hall and was trying to stuff it back into the large tool-belt clasped around his waist. His light red hair was standing on end as though he'd gotten into a nasty fight with a rogue power cable.

Jethro tried to prevent the smile that was demanding to be released as he sized up the lad who was trying to catch one of the papers that still fluttered in the air. After he had everything in order he approached the table and placed his folder down on its smooth surface, meeting Diana and Jethro's eyes with his own emerald ones.

"You are ten minutes late. I thought you would have remembered that you are scheduled for this meeting."

He had to remain firm even with the boy. It was his job as leader. It was very difficult though not to smile when a fleeing look of guilt crossed his boyish face.

He was quite young to have been placed in such a high ranking position within their chain of command. It was a great responsibility. The boy had proven himself responsible from the get-go. He never conducted himself in a disorderly fashion but always remained professional. He was a bit aloof from others his own age but Mark seemed fine with that, preferring his own space. The lad also seemed to take great delight in burying himself with work.

 _The young man reminded Jethro of himself… others had even remarked that he and the boy resembled one another in certain ways._

They did seem to share some of the same mannerisms and temperaments. Diana would sometimes joke around and claim that the youngster was the son he'd never known he had…begotten from Jethro's youth whilst on off-duty leave. The first time she'd said it, Jethro had gone deathly pale and told Diana to never joke about it again, denying the possibility. Over time though, the idea of Mark being his son didn't bother him as much. He'd grown very fond of the boy.

Diana and Jethro patiently waited for the gasping boy to catch his breath.

"I-I'm sorry…I…lost track of time. I was working on a new schematic for laser generated trip-mines with the ability to magnetize to Cybertronian alloy. They would only trigger if a Decepticon wandered too close. It was Dreadwing's idea," the boy rambled unabashed as he rifled through his designs in his folder.

He paused when he realized both of his superiors were staring at him with stern expressions. Mark had learned how to read people both through expression and body language. He knew that his tardiness probably aggravated the both of them but he had a legitimate reason!

When neither of the elder commanders spoke, he gave them a cursory reading. He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding when he could clearly see the laughter in Jethro's hazel eyes. Now he didn't feel as nervous as when he first stumbled into the room moments ago.

"Well, now that you are here. There are several things that we must discuss. Firstly, we have made the decision to give you a rank. Congratulations Corporal Miller…"

Mark began to grin at the news but Diana broke the silence.

"Oh _come on_ , Jethro…is that really the best you can do?" Diana crossed her arms with a pointed look.

The Phoenix leader rolled his eyes and then looked from her, then back to the 20 year old.

"Fine. Congratulations on the quickest promotion in history, 2nd lieutenant Miller."

"Thank you!" both Mark and Diana exclaimed in unison, although Diana's tone of voice went more along the lines of ' _It's about time you stubborn man'_.

I have decided with Diane's approval that we need to appoint a Chief Medical Officer. There are several possible candidates but none have the skill set we need. Here are the top three choices…" Jethro announced as he turned on a ceiling projector.

It displayed a holographic list of the three candidates, including their personal data, their specific medical expertise, and their psychological profile. The last thing they needed was a surgeon to crack under pressure whilst in the middle of an operation.

"Would it be possible to give the candidates an interview rather than a simple vote? Do they even know that you are considering them for this position?" Diana wisely questioned.

Jethro opened his mouth about to answer when a loud, insistent beeping echoed from his wrist com. He looked down and read the message.

"I'm afraid this meeting must be temporarily adjourned. Dreadwing has something to report…"

Diana and Mark shared a questioning look and prepared to follow their leader but he stopped them.

"Don't worry, I can handle this," he began to walk away but turned and spoke as an afterthought.

Diana was about to ask him what he wanted when he cut her off.

"In answer to your questions: Yes. No." then the man began jogging down the hall to where he was going to meet Dreadwing. He never understood why the hell the military decided to add an adjoining underground runway. The only way in or out was through a set of fortified doors. The interior side of the door was made entirely of iron and had a thickness of roughly five feet. The exterior of course appeared as a natural part of the mountain it was built into and was only three feet thick. The only difference was that between both the interior and exterior plating of the doors, there happened to be metal plates that were impervious to armor piercing rounds. All in all…the hangar doors could withstand not just a nuclear explosion but a freaking tank blast at point blank range.

It took quite a bit of work on Mark's part…but with Drift's help, they were able to repair and replace the broken cogs, springs, and the necessary parts needed to open the doors. It did not run on electricity and therefore followed a purely mechanical system. Whenever Dreadwing needed clearance he just sent a com message to Drift. Drift would then pass on the message to Phoenix command and the former Con would be granted entry. Barricade had been recently assigned to the second Phoenix compound out west.

When Jethro arrived, Dreadwing was not in his alternate form. He was kneeling and was in the middle of cleaning one of his massive weapons. If the Phoenix leader had to take a guess, he'd put his money down that it was some type of rocket launcher.

Jethro took a few steps closer but respected the larger being's personal space. He casually shoved his hands into his pockets, hearing the jingling of his dog-tags echoing in the large expanse around them, and cleared his throat to get his attention. No doubt Dreadwing was already aware of his presence.

"You have something to report Dreadwing?"

" **Yes. I did a recon fly-by of the camp that the rescued humans called Epsilon to look for survivors as you requested,"** Dreadwing responded without looking down at the human. His sole focus was polishing his weapon now that it was reassembled.

"Did you find any?" Jethro asked hopefully. He still felt guilty that he didn't go back himself to look after experiencing the strong feeling that someone had been left behind.

" **There was one life-signal…it was very weak. It originated from beneath one of the collapsed buildings…"**

Dreadwing paused and finally made eye contact with the human. He wore a frown and paused in his weapon polishing as the realization finally hit Jethro like a wrecking ball.

"SHIT! Were you able to land and take a closer look?!"

" **No. There was no time."** Dreadwing's frown softened as he watched Jethro begin to pace back and forth.

"What do you mean?! How could there not be any time!" Jethro exclaimed as he threw his hands up. He was quickly starting to lose his composure.

Dreadwing's optics softened minutely and he gently blocked Jethro's pacing with one hand.

" **The life-signal was not human in nature. It was Cybertronian."**

Jethro closed his eyes and released a relieved sigh.

"THANK GOD!" Believing that the conversation was over, Jethro turned around about to head back inside the main complex but was stopped when one of Dreadwing's large digits gently curled around his torso to prevent him from leaving.

The man turned back around with an expression border-lining on curiosity and annoyance.

"Yes, Dreadwing?"

" **I saw evidence of one human survivor whose body was no longer on site. I have visual logs that you must see…"**

Jethro crossed his arms, his curiosity now piqued and waited as Dreadwing's optics brightened. Soon his optical sensors projected his visual log and Jethro took a step forward.

 _Time: 0517_

 _Date Stamp: Insufficient Data_

 _Heading: S. Southwest_

 _Coordinates: -_

Jethro ignored the technical data and bristled when the visual footage of what exactly Dreadwing had encountered began to play. It was strange…but cool. Virtually seeing through a Cybertronian's eyes never grew dull.

 _ **Night vision-ineffective.**_

 _Infrared and thermal images instantly appeared. Dreadwing's vision zoomed in like a camera lens, revealing a multi-colored heat signature of what appeared to be the outline of a tiny Cybertronian buried beneath the rubble. After a cursory look, the jet began to loop around._

 _Suddenly his visual sensors zoomed in on the fallen body of Soundwave and Cybertronian script immediately began to flow across Dreadwing's HUD. Then an area highlighted within Dreadwing's scans, giving him a visual of the detected device within Soundwave's torso, inches away from where the sword had impaled him to the ground. It appeared as a red blinking light._

 _ **-Decepticon Locator Beacon -**_ _ **Active**_ _ **.**_

 _ **-Cybertronian designation: Soundwave**_

 _ **-Status: emergency stasis-lock.**_

 _ **-Condition: Critical – Immediate Repair required**_

 _Dreadwing then began his return flight back to the base but nearly froze mid-air as his visual scans zoomed in one last time. There were drag marks through the soil, emanating from the twisted wreckage where the small Decepticon had been spotted through thermal images. Blood was stained on a sharp piece of jagged metal and a trail of drag marks accompanied by human blood ran about three yards. The soil was disturbed in one location, revealing that the injured human had been sitting for an extended period of time. Next to the indentation marks was a small, dried up puddle of blood. Human-footprints led away from the camp, pausing next the fallen body of one of the Phoenix fighters._

 _Dreadwing followed the trail until it ended near the mouth of a cave._

 _His scanners went wild, trying to locate the injured human but found no other traces._

 _-End Visual Log—_

"Oh no." Jethro groaned as he brought a hand up to his forehead. It looked like the man had a terrible headache.

Dreadwing's optical sensors resumed their normal function and he looked down at the crestfallen Resistance leader.

" **There is no evidence to prove the survivor's demise."**

"Why didn't you search the surrounding area near that cave?"

" **My sensors detected an approaching Decepticon life-signal."**

"Whose life-signal?"

Dreadwing did not answer right away which merely served to intensify the butterfly frenzy within his gut.

" **Megatron."**

Dreadwing and Jethro had a brief staring contest until Jethro blinked and pursed his lips with raised eyebrows as though the information wasn't that serious.

"Alright then. It's decided. I'll put together a search and rescue team. Good work, Dreadwing. Thanks for the help. Please alert Drift that I need him on this mission!"

" **Very well."**

Once Jethro was out of Dreadwing's visual range, his pace quickened until he bolted into a dead run. He hit a button on the nearest com station and opened an overhead channel.

"This is Commander Jethro Peterson. Diana Clarke, Will Garrett, Jessie Johnson, Mark Miller, report to central command on the double!"

Once all members were present, Jethro skipped formalities and began without preamble.

"I'm putting together a search and rescue team. I need volunteers."

"What for, Commander?" Garrett questioned him with a look of pure confusion.

Jethro made sure he had their attention before marking an "X" directly over the area of a paper map that Dreadwing had last seen evidence of the wounded human.

"There is one wounded survivor from that camp…" he announced as he capped the marker and set it down. He glanced from one Militia member to the next with an expression that spoke volumes of his fiery determination.

" _And we are going to find them…"_

* * *

Crimson red optics burned fiercely with hatred and rage. They were narrowed, a further testament to the being's dark fury—like a demon escaped from hell with a blood-thirsty vendetta. Sharp, pointed denta were gnashed together, facial expression contorted into a savage snarl. Large, silver hands were balled tightly into fists. The sharp, clawed digits grated against metallic palms, creating a small screeching sound…like nails running over a chalkboard. Those fists only seemed to tighten further, drawing violet energon, as optics darted over the ruins of slave camp Epsilon-41.

The towering titan charged up the fusion cannon on his forearm and blasted apart the remains of yet another incompetent Cybertronian, _who had the_ _ **gall**_ _…_ to call themselves Decepticon.

Upon receiving Soundwave's locator beacon mid-way through his flight…he had the foresight to call Frenzy and Hook. Megatron ordered them to drop their current assignments and rendezvous with him at these exact coordinates. Until they arrived, which wouldn't be much longer, the greatly feared Decepticon leader waited.

He continued to survey the many corpses that littered the place. It disgusted him greatly to see that most of the Decepticons assigned to the camp were permanently offline. A part of him wished they weren't, just so he could have the pleasure of killing them himself for their uselessness. He was delighted at least to see that those dimwitted humans who had the audacity to rebel against him were slain.

A sudden clattering sound emitted nearby forcing him into battle mode.

He spun around with his charged fusion cannon and pointed it at a heap of twisted wreckage. Remains of a building no doubt. Upon closer inspection, he detected faint traces of human blood. That observation wasn't what captured his attention of course, but rather the movement coming from within. He growled with a sneer.

" _ **SHOW YOURSELF!"**_

The rubble shifted and a groan reached his audial receptors. Megatron's scanners soon detected the source of the disturbance.

 _ **Frenzy.**_

Snarling a particularly nasty Cybertronian profanity, he powered down his weapon and simply stood there, glowering at the wreckage. He made no move to assist the minibot. If the fool got himself stuck in that situation, he could get himself out.

" **W-what happened?"** Frenzy questioned with a pained voice, still buried within his unexpected prison.

" **I was about to ask _you_ the same question,"** Megatron growled with clear discontent.

For a minute, only silence prevailed…until a loud _'CLANG'_ sound echoed from somewhere within the debris, followed by an immediate curse.

Frenzy must have hit his cranial unit on something. Either that or something _fell_ on him.

Megatron allowed himself a small, wicked grin at the minibot's _terrible_ misfortune.

His amusement was ruined moments later when Frenzy began to stutter out what sounded to be an underlying plea for amnesty, which could only mean that Soundwave's little minion had failed somewhere along the line…

" **Lord Megatron, I** _ **swear**_ **I kept her safe, just like you ordered! But…you see, there was a—"** Frenzy nervously began to ramble.

" _ **Where. Is. She.**_ " Megatron interrupted darkly with a sharp, warning edge. His cold, unforgiving tone was icy enough to make even the strongest Decepticon tremble.

" **She's…she's not here…"**

Megatron remained silent and still as a statue as he tried to process those simple words.

Frenzy winced from where he was still trapped beneath crushing tons of debris. He could only imagine the frightening expression on his leader's face. He jolted seconds later when he heard Megatron's murderous roar.

 _"_ ** _SHE'S WHAT?!_ " **

" **Sh-she…got out…I…l-let her go,"** Frenzy whimpered as his body began to shake from spark-stopping fear. He was as good as dead now.

" **YOU** _ **WHAT?!"**_ Megatron thundered as he viciously snarled.

 **"I…c-can explain!"** Frenzy insisted.

" **You had** _ **better**_ **!"**

" **I shielded her from the collapsing building but…"** Frenzy paused as an overpowering feeling of shame, washed over him. It was going to be humiliating to admit to his leader. He would be punished…or in the very worst, terminated.

" **But** _ **what**_ **?"** Megatron hissed dangerously.

At least explaining himself beneath a mountain of rubble wasn't going to be as frightening as it would be if he'd actually been standing before the vicious warlord. He really didn't want to see his murderous expression or the promise of pain in those optics. He could imagine Megatron punting him around like a human football…

 _He actually did that to him once…_

" **I tried, Lord Megatron! I really did…but the weight was too much! I would have crushed her…"** he finally blurted out. He was signing his own death warrant with those words. Anyone who admitted or proved their weakness was not worthy to be a Decepticon and was no longer considered valuable in Megatron's eyes. Termination was the most common practice when it came to permanently 'dismissing' someone from the Decepticon army. Frenzy's processor was already conjuring up a million different ways that Megatron could kill him…

To say he was surprised at his leader's next declaration was a huge understatement.

" **Yes, you most certainly would have. Your logic was sound, Frenzy. I wanted her alive and you at least succeeded in maintaining THAT order…"** he replied with a lower voice although it was still hard and firm. He did not take failure lightly.

Before Frenzy could begin to utter his thanks, now that he knew his leader wasn't going to melt him down into a steaming pile of slag, Megatron continued.

 **"Because she got away and you failed to keep her in your grasp despite your circumstances, your punishment will be simple…"**

Megatron was interrupted when Hook, Rumble, _and_ Ravage appeared on scene. He turned to the three newcomers.

" **I do not remember sending for Ravage...so why is he here?"** Megatron questioned with a raised optic ridge. It was irrelevant at the moment, in all honesty, the Decepticon leader really didn't care. The last he checked, Ravage had finished the assignment he'd recently been on.

" **No matter…I may require his services after all,"** Megatron stated as his optics drifted back down to the blood trail.

He then issued the three immediate orders.

" **Hook, attend to Soundwave. Rumble and Ravage will remain here with me…"**

The three obeyed. Hook ran down the slope to where Soundwave's battered and broken body lay. Rumble stood next to the towering form of their leader, while Ravage abruptly sat on his haunches with a minute growl.

Megatron, upon his arrival earlier, had gone immediately to the source of Soundwave's locator beacon. He knew that his TIC never activated it unless he was actually _dying._ The Decepticon leader was no medic but after a cursory examination, he deemed that Soundwave was in no serious danger of permanently off-lining within the time it would take for the Decepticon medic to arrive.

The simple fact that his Communications officer fought to the brink of death was commendable. Therefore as reward, he would not terminate Frenzy despite his failure, as the little minibot currently feared.

Megatron resumed his conversation with Frenzy.

" **Now where were we?** _ **Ah, yes.**_ **Your punishment…"** Megatron purred with an underlying giddy tone.

Rumble was moving forward as though to start digging his way down to reach his brother in order to free him but Megatron stopped him.

" **You are not to free him as I originally intended! After discovering his most recent failure I have devised a rather noteworthy punishment…"**

Rumble remained silent, as did his brother, as they awaited Frenzy's sentence to be administered.

" **You will remain in your little prison** _ **forever**_ **unless you manage to free yourself. Once you are free, you may return to our headquarters.** _ **On your own…"**_ Megatron stated with a dark purr.

Rumble of course wanted to defend Frenzy but was wise enough to keep his mouth shut. Megatron's verdicts were _law._ He was the judge, the jury, _and_ the executioner. No one went against his word. To do so would be _suicide_.

Frenzy on the other hand understood why Megatron had chosen this punishment. For starters, he knew it would be nearly impossible to dig himself free since he was pinned and was nearly crushed beneath the debris. It was a humiliating reminder that Megatron recognized his weakness. If he did as Megatron said and miraculously freed himself…he would prove his strength and would therefore be welcomed back.

What made it worse, however…was that Frenzy did not know the way back to their main fortress. He'd never traveled this far out and when he did, Soundwave was his escort. He had no reason to map his way back. They were not scheduled to remain this long at Epsilon-41. If it weren't for those stupid Rebels blowing up the camp…he and Soundwave could have already made it back hours ago!

 _That wasn't the true challenge though…_

Frenzy was already low on energon and there wasn't going to be any for **miles**. Without knowing how long it would take him to find a way to free himself...he probably wouldn't even have enough to get him back to HQ without shutting down into emergency stasis from energon deprivation on the way there.

" **Say your final farewells you three,"** Megatron stated with a wicked smirk. He then left Soundwave's minions to join Hook who had just managed to stabilize the wounded Officer enough to move him. Hook did a remarkable job with the patchwork. The sword that was impaling his TIC had been removed and was lying next to his body. The Decepticon leader's optics narrowed as he bent down to inspect the very familiar melee weapon. Megatron picked it up and called for Rumble.

 **"Hook requires your assistance in moving Soundwave. We will return to HQ immediately,"** Megatron ordered almost absentmindedly as he turned the sword over in his hands. Where had he seen this weapon before?

Ravage suddenly appeared at his feet. Megatron didn't even remember calling him.

 **"Ravage…I want you to track Prime's wounded child. Once you have spotted her, do not engage. Alert me immediately and make sure she does not have the chance to make another escape."**

Ravage nodded his head and then ran to the hole where Rayne had cut her leg and began sniffing, taking in the coppery scent into his olfactory sensors. He began to follow the blood trail, like a domesticated canine. A blood-hound, the humans called them…good for tracking and hunting. Although to most…Ravage appeared and tended to act more like a jaguar or a black panther.

Megatron paused to watch the four legged Decepticon go and then without further ado, ordered everyone else to retreat… leaving Renzy behind to his doomed fate.

* * *

 **Author's Note** **:** *Super sarcastic Tone* - _Isn't Megatron just the nicest guy you've ever met? Full of sunshine and rainbows, isn't he?_ XD I hope that this extra-long chapter made up for the long wait. I will do what I can to continue writing the next installment but like I said…I'm having surgery in the near future. :/ Wish me luck!

 **Added Disclaimer:** I do not own real life objects, places, or people. Nor do I own Transformers characters, only the characters I create.


	10. Harrowing Rescue

**Author's Note** : Thanks for sticking with me despite so many delays! Surgery went well and I'm all healed up. Updates from here on out might be a little slow since I'm currently trying to finish another fan-fiction story that I've neglected for far too long. This one will probably be updated faster though, simply because I have the plot all worked out. Thank you for your wonderful reviews!

* * *

Cybertronian Time Units

Astro-Second = 2 minutes

Astro-Minute = 10 inutes

Nano-cycle = 120 minutes (2 hours)

Astro-cycle = 100 years

Dec-cycle = 1,000 years

Mega-cycle = 10,000

Cosmo-cycle = 1,000,000 years

* * *

 **CHAPTER 10**

 _**Aboard the Maximus**_

The leader of the Autobots gazed out of one of the three largest viewports. He was currently standing on the main deck next to the vast portside window, it's translucency expanding nearly the entire length of the hallway. There was also an identical viewport on the starboard side. Many times, staring out at the vastness of space from the bridge grew extremely dull.

Optimus Prime sought solitude occasionally whenever he had a brief respite from his duties. It was a rare chance for him to temporarily escape the rather burdensome responsibilities that being Prime demanded of him.

It was one of the few places he could retreat to besides his quarters where he could enjoy some well- earned peace and quiet. This was one of his favorite thinking places. He could stand here for hours.

His daughter constantly remained at the forefront of his thoughts. He remembered a time…a special time when his child unknowingly stumbled upon his favorite thinking place, eventually calling it her own before he revealed it to be his as well…

 _-9 Cosmo-cycles ago—_

 _He was on his way back to his personal quarters. The classified mission briefing with his officers, regarding an intercepted Decepticon transmission, finally adjourned. Optimus frowned pensively as he thought back to the new intel they'd received by one of their covert, undercover spies. Megatron was planning on raiding one of only a dozen remaining energon processing plants on Cybertron. There was enough energon being refined to keep an army refueled for a few dozen mega-cycles. If they succeeded… well, Optimus honestly didn't want to consider the possibilities—What it would mean for the Autobots…his family…his friends._

 _He left Prowl in command planet-side and rather than leaving his child on the surface below, he had chosen to bring his daughter with him. It was his overprotectiveness and paranoia that mainly influenced the decision. Then again, it was also largely due to his need to remain with her… no matter how dark or hopeless things seemed…her light always broke through the darkness, reminding him that hope could only truly be lost if one simply gave up._

 _His daughter almost always made him smile and she was one of the few who could make him laugh. Truly laugh._

 _The guilty smiles she used to give him whenever he caught her red-handed in the middle of plotting something devious—usually a prank with Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Bumblebee—made it difficult for him to keep his composure whilst scolding her. Her expressions during his many lectures made him smile. She looked bored and unappreciative…but he knew that she was still taking his lessons to spark._

 _Optimus Prime paused mid-stride when he felt his daughter's deep, spark-felt sorrow flood through their open bond. He could sense she was unaware that she transmitted her feelings and decided to investigate the matter._

 _It was never that difficult to find her. The brilliance of her life-force guided him to her._

 _Optimus felt mildly surprised when he turned a very familiar corner that led into the portside observation wing, to see his little spark staring out at the stars, lost in thought. For a moment she appeared to be completely unaware of his presence. Then she turned her head to the right, in his direction, just long enough for her optics to widen and her spark to flare in surprise when she finally sensed his close proximity._

 _Then his youngling turned her head away from him and resumed her stargazing. Optimus could feel that she retreated to this rather peaceful area in order to seek isolation and to think._

 _He internally smiled. His little spark had found his favorite thinking place._

 _Optimus carefully monitored his child's emotional state as he slowly neared her. He could feel her strong desire for privacy and solitude. A brief wave of annoyance through their bond, directed solely at him, revealed that she was not too thrilled that he had found her. She wanted to be left alone._

 _Based upon her raging internal emotions emanating through their bond, he felt her internal struggle. She was still processing the grief over the loss of her mother now that she was old enough to understand why she was never coming back._

 _That pain still lingered on._

 _What really surprised him however, was when he sensed his child trying to keep her emotions reigned in._

 _Her childish face had adopted a rather stoic expression, much like the one he often had when performing his leadership duties. The look she now wore would normally have made him laugh…but instead, he felt a bout of sadness and his spark felt heavy._

 _It was an expression most unbefitting for a child._

 _Optimus soon reached her side, towering over her small frame. He studied her again in an attempt to read anything he might have missed the first time._

 _That's when he caught sight of the curling of tiny hands into fists and the glimmer of unshed tears in her optical sensors. She was stubbornly trying to will them away._

 _His daughter was trying to put up a brave front for him._

 _He joined her in her silent stargazing, patiently awaiting the time when she would willingly open up to him. It pained him greatly, the longer they stood in silence as he felt the anguish within his child's spark intensifying by the nano-second. He would never force her to speak to him…he was willing to stand there with her until the end of time itself if that was what it took for her to share her thoughts and feelings._

 _To his great relief, she at last spoke in a soft voice._

" _She's never coming back…is she."_

 _Optimus glanced down at her despite the fact she still refused to look at him._

" _No… She is with Primus now." It hurt for him to even utter those words. In the past the two of them shared brief dialogue about her mother's death. His child had still been far too young at the time and could not understand what death truly was. Now that his daughter was older, he had no doubt that questions would start flooding out from the depths of her very spark. Questions that he was unable to give…for he did not have all of the answers himself._

 _She turned her head and looked up to meet his sorrowful gaze._

" _Why did she have to leave?"_

 _Optimus knew she was not referring to her mother's death but the day his spark-mate departed, leaving their sparkling with him._

" _Your mother was still grieving, over the loss of your elder brother."_

" _I used to think she left because she didn't love me anymore."_

 _Optimus felt as though he'd been sucker-punched by a combiner._

" _Oh, my child. She always loved you. Never think otherwise. She left you with me because she knew I would always keep you safe."_

 _She glanced out of the viewport again in silence though it didn't last nearly as long as the first time. The youngling appeared to be deep in thought again. It was growing quickly apparent that his favorite thinking place was going to soon be hers as well._

" _Father…what happened to her?"_

 _And there it was… the question Optimus had been dreading for deca-cycles. Her innocent question broke his spark and he was more than reluctant to reveal what truly happened to her mother that day. He felt it best to avoid the question. His child wasn't nearly mature enough to process or come to terms with the truth. It would hurt his little one to know the gruesome details regarding her capture, torture, and sadistic death at the hands of the Decepticons._

 _No. It was best she did not yet know._

" _That is a story that I will share with you another time."_

 _His daughter looked as though she were about to protest but then realized arguing with him would be pointless. Once his mind was made up, that was it. He never, if rarely, ever changed his mind on something._

" _Why did she have to die?" her voice wavered as she managed to choke out the one question that had been burning within her mind whilst she'd been contemplating next to the observation window._

 _His spark leapt to his throat at the question…for it was one that he too, wished to know. Optimus knew that Primus was the true keeper and bearer of sparks and that each life was bound to the destiny that Primus issued of his faithful ones._

 _He shook his head softly._

" _I don't know. That is usually the one question in the universe that can rarely be answered, or even understood…"_

 _His little spark glanced down at the glowing white floor and choked on a sob, yet still unwilling to release all of the agony she kept locked inside. Optimus knew it was not healthy to suppress one's emotions…a spark could only handle so much. She needed to release it—and soon—because if she didn't, her spark would fade._

 _He knelt down on one knee. When she refused to look at him, he gently cupped her cheek in his palm and turned her head so that they were looking each other in the optic. He could clearly see his child was still trying to appear brave for him…he could sense she did not want him or any other for that matter to view her in a negative light. Words did not need to be spoken, for their bond translated those feelings into messages._

 _He understood the reason why she came to this place alone. She didn't want everyone to think her a weak sparkling for shedding her tears. She currently believed that adults never cried. It was time to ease his daughter's mind and put those silly notions to rest._

 _With a small, nearly imperceptible smile, he gently spoke to his child…flooding their bond with all of the love and reassurance that he could give her._

" _Not all tears are an evil, child…It's alright."_

 _And with those spoken words, the grief she'd been holding in…the tears she'd kept pent up behind that crumbling dam finally broke. With sobs she could no longer withhold, she flung herself against him and buried her face in his chassis. He stood up from his kneeling position, picking up his child as he did so, and held her. He spoke soft words of comfort and flooded their bond with all the love he held for her. After a while, her sobs tapered down and she rested her small helm against his shoulder guard. She remained silent. His optics glanced down to see her youthful face and smiled. She had fallen asleep in his arms. It took a lot of energy to purge deep and powerful emotions from one's spark._

 _He gently shifted his hold on her and began to walk back to their shared quarters…relieved that her spark was now ready to begin the healing process._

 _-End Flashback—_

Optimus shook himself of the memory and stared at the empty space beside him. The place where his daughter once stood. Thankfully there were other times when they bumped into each other in the past that were less sorrowful. Some days they'd simply stargaze together in absolute silence, just enjoying each other's company.

Prowl sent him the latest report concerning the progress of their ship's repairs. It was taking far longer than he liked but considering the fact that they didn't have the necessary parts to repair some of the most critical systems, he could understand the delay. It was a miracle that after crash landing on Earth, that they had been able to patch up the _Maximus_ at all and make the ship space worthy again.

With a small shake of his head, he turned away from the viewport and headed down to the engineering deck where Perceptor and Wheeljack were currently doing everything within their power to get their main warp drive repaired.

On the way down via the gravity lift, his spark grew heavy as he sensed his connection with his daughter slowly fading. He knew she wasn't dying. It was a darkness and an ancient evil that was slowly revealing itself. The same evil that was responsible for robbing his daughter of her innocence and the life she'd once known.

Only one name came to mind in that moment…

 _ **Megatron.**_

* * *

 _Rayne was standing before a large skyscraper. She was confused. It was nighttime and the city was full of the hustle and bustle of people. Which city was this? She didn't recognize it. Before she had the chance to figure it out, she felt the ground beneath her begin to quake. She nearly lost her footing but managed to maintain her balance. The earth quake stopped as quickly as it began._

 _Then to her growing horror, she felt within her spark…a dark, evil. One that she recognized. He was coming for her! The ground began to split open at the base of the skyscraper and she became glued to the spot when large, clawed, silver digits broke through the Earth in front of her. Then a head and a torso popped out and her eyes widened in recognition. A scream got lodged in her throat as her eyes met those of hellish red optics._

 _Megatron sneered and roared as he clawed his way out from beneath the ground. He snarled maliciously at her and roared._

 **" _COME HERE, GIRL!"_**

 _The ice-cold, heart stopping fear that had gripped her spark exploded and her legs finally unlocked, allowing her to run in the opposite direction. She glanced over her shoulder to see Megatron standing at his full, imposing height. He was MASSIVE, practically the size of the skyscraper itself._

 _He began to run in her direction and a scream finally ripped free from her throat. Panicked thoughts ran rampant through her mind. There was no way on Earth or in heaven that she could outrun him on foot._

 _None of the humans around her seemed to see the giant silver titan and continued about their lives. She stopped in the middle of a street and grabbed a young man riding a motorcycle and threw him off. He shouted in startled protest but she didn't bother with an apology._

 _Amazingly enough, she didn't know how to ride a motorcycle, yet within this terrifying dreamscape, she somehow knew what to do. Gripping both handles in a death grip, yet relieved that the dirt bike was already revved up, she twisted the handles, placed both feet in the grooves, and propelled forward at amazing speed._

 _Megatron continued to shout and curse after her, raging and threatening her. She tried to ignore him and focused mainly on escaping. She stupidly glanced over her shoulder to see if he was following and screamed when she saw just how close he was at catching her._

" _ **You can run child…but you cannot hide! I WILL FIND YOU!** **YOU ARE MINE**!"_

 _A sob tore from her throat and she began to plead and beg to God…a quickly uttered prayer and hoped that he would listen and make her escape possible. Tears began to run down her face in despair. Megatron was only yards away behind her. Then to her amazement, the motorcycle shifted into a higher gear, propelling her forward like a rocket. The hateful, raging screams and threats that were hurled at her back died out as light began to grow around and ahead of her. The darkness was soon broken completely by blinding sunlight as her motorcycle sped directly into a large glade. It was completely devoid of any trees that might have cast shadows upon the ground._

 _Her thoughts abruptly ended, when to her dismay, the motorcycle disappeared beneath her. She began to run but stopped when she no longer felt that menacing hate following her._

 _Thinking back to her frightening yet successful escape, she realized something. Maybe the reason why Megatron couldn't follow her to this place…was because he was phobic of light. He was a creature of darkness after all._

 _Rayne smiled when she noticed she'd ended up in a large field of flowers. It reminded her of the dream she'd had with her father not long ago._

 _She began to call out for him. He had to be here somewhere, right? Still frightened by the encounter she'd had with Megatron only moments ago, she felt it would be wise to keep moving. Rayne would search for her father along the way. The young woman wasn't entirely sure how spark-bond dreams worked. She theorized that all occupants involved had to be sleeping or recharging._

 _That left one burning question in her mind._

 _How in the hell was Megatron able to pervade her dreams? Come to think of it, he'd been in the last one, the dream she'd shared with her father Optimus. It didn't make any sense! Rayne began to wonder if she and Megatron were related somehow…like an uncle and niece. What other explanation was there?_

 _Deciding not to dwell on the subject, paranoid that such thoughts might summon Megatron and bring that encroaching darkness behind her, she continued walking through the field. Soon the light began to fade and ahead of her was a small town. It wasn't as dark as the nightmare with Megatron but was overshadowed by grey._

 _With the burning desire to find her father…despite the feeling that doing so might be foolish, she decided to venture forth regardless._

 _The town was completely abandoned. The landscape reminded her of the cruel, cold reality she'd left behind in the waking world. It was strange…normally when she became aware that she was dreaming, she'd wake up._

 _Rayne was none too pleased when the dream shifted before she could finish exploring the overshadowed town. Soon Rayne was deep under water, yet she didn't require oxygen. To her horror, there was a very large, eel looking thing. It reminded her of those eels from the Little Mermaid cartoon movie. It had sharp teeth but its eyes were glowing red. She tried to hide behind a pillar but knew it was pointless. The thing would find her eventually, seeing as there weren't many good hiding places. She heard it speak._

 **" _I will find you, little one. You can't run forever."_**

 _Strangely enough, she did not sense Megatron's presence. In fact, she couldn't figure out who the hell this disguised Decepticon was supposed to be…_

 **" _The bond with your father is fading…why do you think that is?"_**

 _He was baiting her._

 _Rayne didn't answer. She knew that if she did, the eel monster would find her. So far, she was doing well, moving behind different boulders and ruined architecture beneath the water. She had a strong feeling that he was right. She couldn't run or hide forever._

 _With a growing feeling of dread, she turned a corner, only to see the eel monster about two meters in front of her. It seemed to grin in triumph, revealing sharply pointed fangs._

" _ **I FOUND YOU**_ _!"_

 _It snarled as it charged right for her, swimming at amazing speed._

 _Rayne screamed right as it lunged for her face…the second that it hit her, she was ripped violently away from the dream world._

Jerking awake, even going so far as to sit up, Rayne released a startled cry of alarm. Her heart was beating erratically in her chest and she was panting heavily. A thin sheen of sweat was beaded on her forehead. Her lip curled into a disgusted grimace when she felt the clothing on her back sticking to her wet skin. The young paramedic didn't even remember falling asleep.

Rayne wasn't sure how she knew it…but she had a strong feeling that the eel monster wasn't Megatron. She could _**sense**_ the Decepticon leader within her former nightmare and yet did not sense a thing with whomever was masquerading as a fanged, sea creature. One name immediately sprang to mind and within her spark, she knew she was right.

 _Soundwave._

If she had to hazard a guess, she deduced that it would be easy for him to enter her mind. He'd already ripped apart her mind during their little 'interrogation' session back at camp Epsilon-41.

Rayne shivered as she wiped the unwanted sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and gasped. Her head was hot…yet she felt cold. _That was not a good sign._

She had a fever. Which meant that her injury was most likely infected.

Turning on the flashlight she'd discovered from the back-pack recovered from the aftermath of the battle, she re-examined her wound. She closed her eyes and winced.

Her assumption was correct. The area around it was a bright red and what looked to be pus was seeping through the quick-clot she'd used earlier to stop the bleeding.

With limited resources, she wasn't sure what to do despite her medical training.

She found two water-bottles in the soldier's pack and a small first-aid kit. Unfortunately, she still had no means of disinfecting or stitching it up without the proper supplies. She cleaned what she could and then took the gauze roll and wrapped it around her leg to keep it covered, discarding the improvised rag that was previously tied around it. After taping it up, she shakily climbed back to her feet, using the cave wall to balance herself and pulled the pack over both shoulders. Rayne was no longer able to completely walk as pain shot through her nerve endings.

Taking her makeshift crutch, she had a growing sense of dread that screamed a warning in the back of her mind.

Something was coming.

 _Something bad._

Rayne didn't know what it was but that persistent feeling urged her into action. After popping two Tylenol tablets into her mouth, she took a sip of water and after swallowing them, she headed for the cave entrance.

She was moving far too slowly. Rayne wouldn't doubt it if Megatron sent a few of his lackeys after her. What hope she'd had slowly began to shatter when the gravity of her current situation hit her like a ton of bricks.

 _There was no way she could outrun a Decepticon if she was found…_

Rayne weighed her options. She could stay hidden in this cave during the day and attempt to travel by night. She had a gut feeling though, that it wouldn't matter. Cybertronians were highly advanced, intelligent, and technologically sophisticated beings beyond mortal reckoning. They would no doubt have little trouble spotting her either way.

As that growing sense of danger continued to consume her spark, she limped and hobbled to the cave entrance and had to shield her eyes with her free hand as her eyes attempted to adjust to the vast change in lighting.

She had to squint her eyes at first and as she did, she saw something in the distance. It was a pitch-black color and whatever it was, it was running towards her on all fours. It stopped for a moment, sniffing the ground. What the hell _was_ that?! The first thought that ripped through her panicked, fog covered brain, was that it was a wolf…or a panther. It was hard to see clearly from such a long distance. She remembered though that neither wolves nor panthers lived in this geographical location.

Rayne pulled out the small pair of binoculars that she'd shoved in her pocket hours ago and held it up to her eyes. After adjusting it, a gasped curse escaped her lips when she identified what it really was.

" _Oh my God_ …"

Sunlight disappeared behind a cloud briefly…but when it returned, the blazing sunlight glinted off of the being's metal hide.

 _ **It was Ravage**._

He had to be one of the fastest runners. It was hard enough trying to outrun a bipedal Cybertronian. When it came to Ravage though, escape was virtually impossible. From the look of it, he hadn't spotted her yet. Moving very slowly, she took a few cautious steps backwards, concealing herself within the shadows of the cave's mouth.

Rayne did explore the cave earlier and knew that within the back wall, there was a small passage that lead to another exit. She had no idea what awaited her behind that point. The young woman figured there was no real need to explore beyond her shelter.

All she knew, was that it led further into the blistering heat of the desert beyond. At least within the dark of the cave, it was cooler but with Ravage hunting her, it was no longer safe. Without wasting anymore of her precious time, Rayne headed in that direction. Hopefully it would not be discovered by Ravage. Rayne pocketed the binoculars and turned on her flashlight. Staggering and nearly falling, she used the wall as a support until bright light filtered through the gloom of the rear exit.

A sand dune greeted her. Now she was thankful she'd bandaged her wound tightly enough. Rayne didn't have to worry about sand aggravating her injury as she began to crawl through the grit. She paused for a moment when her sensitive ears picked up on a distant sound.

The throaty growl of an engine.

From the sound of it, it was fast approaching. Fearing the worst, she dug through the sand and buried herself beneath it, hoping to Primus that if it was a Decepticon, that they wouldn't be able to detect her. Covering her mouth and face with a cloth, she burrowed a little further to conceal herself entirely.

The sound became a bit muffled but in a few seconds the noise abruptly stopped. That's when she heard the muffled, yet unmistakable sound of a transformation. Rayne hardly dared to breathe and remained still. The ground began to shake slightly as the unidentified Cybertronian began to near her position.

Rayne's heart hammered within her chest. She never stopped to consider the possibility of being accidentally stepped on until that very second. Should she patiently remain still where she was and hope she wasn't stepped on? Or be better safe than sorry and risk capture by revealing herself?

As the booming footsteps continued to near, she felt the sand around her begin to shift. Rayne made her choice.

Popping up from beneath the sand she struggled to crawl back up to her feet but froze when a large shadow fell over her.

Instinctively, she craned her head back so she could see who she was up against.

Her eyes traveled up the being's torso and landed on the sharp-edged face of an all too familiar faction symbol on the mech's chest.

 _ **Decepticon.**_

Rayne screamed…

* * *

Drift detected the faint signal of a Decepticon a few miles away from where the former slave camp once stood. It was the only one in the nearby vicinity. His initial scan pinged back, forming a multicolored visual of the being's heat signature behind walls of rock.

 _Ravage._

He must be looking for the survivor that Jethro had them searching for. Drift had his doubts that the human could even withstand the blistering heat of the desert. It was mid-day and the temperature was 103 degrees outside.

Without food and water, the human wouldn't last much longer…if he or she were even still alive. He stopped a short distance away and cut off his engine. Hopefully Ravage hadn't heard him coming. Drift transformed and began to walk slowly in the general direction of the closest cave entrance. He planned to ambush Ravage if he chose that particular exit.

Drift froze when his scanners detected a smaller life-form nearby. He ambled slowly towards where it was hiding and was startled when a human female popped up out of the sand about a yard in front of him.

She craned her head up to look at him and when her eyes landed on his former Decepticon symbol, she screamed.

 **"No! Wait! I'm not going to harm you!"**

With wide eyes, she backpedaled but slipped and fell on her haunches and began to crawl away from him, still screaming.

Her scream soon turned into an angry snarl as she hurled accusations at him.

"You're lying! You're only saying that because Megatron wants me alive!"

Drift shook his head and made placating hand gestures in a friendly attempt to calm her down.

At last her angry glare disappeared, immediately replaced with narrow-eyed suspicion as she finally caught sight of his blue optics.

"Why aren't your optics red like all of the other Decepticons?"

 **"As I've been trying to explain, I'm no longer associated with their ilk. I come on behalf of Jethro, the human resistance leader. The rest of the Phoenix coalition aren't far behind me. When he found out that there was one human survivor left behind after the battle…he organized a search and rescue mission."**

She remained silent and nodded, although she still held deep mistrust within her eyes.

 **"I understand why you have certain misgivings but I want you to know that—"** Drifts optical sensors finally landed on Rayne's leg and he frowned.

 **"You're injured…"** he stated with sincere concern.

Rayne slowly began to relax, her expression no longer harboring distrust.

"Yes, I am. Who are you? How do I know I can trust you?"

 **"My name is Drift. And I will gladly share with you my story of betrayal and what influenced me to switch sides in our war. Right now, we need to leave…you are being hunted."**

Her eyes widened when she finally remembered that Ravage was conducting his own search for her. Rayne opened her mouth to warn him of the identity of her Decepticon stalker but released a scream when Drift suddenly scooped her up without any warning. He aimed his gun at the rocky overhang of the cliff's secret exit and fired, just as Ravage made his presence known with a savage snarl.

He lowered himself on all fours and prepared to pounce but howled in pained outrage when a small avalanche of rocks and boulders fell right on top of him, blocking the cave's secondary exit.

Without further ado, Drift set Rayne down and transformed back into his sleek alternate mode. He opened his driver's side door and shouted.

 **"Let's go before Ravage frees himself!"**

Sensing that this Drift fellow did not mean her harm, she trusted her spark and limped forward. She threw the back-pack in the passenger's seat before easing herself into the vehicle. She buckled seconds before Drift hit the accelerator. The G-force pushed Rayne back into her seat as he easily went from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds.

A bout of dizziness washed over her senses, as did a wave of nausea. Sudden vertigo left her reeling. She felt herself slumping forward and would have hit her head against Drift's steering wheel but felt the seat belt tighten as her head lolled.

Within seconds, she lost consciousness as the fever continued to burn. Drift radioed in to let the Phoenix leader know that he had the survivor safely tucked away within his alternate form. During transit, Drift picked up on Rayne's soft mumbling and his spark skipped a beat when he heard what she said. Had he heard correctly?

Maybe the heat fried his processor because if he _did_ hear what he thought he had…then his passenger wasn't some mere human mortal.

 **" _Oh, dear Primus…_ "** he murmured softly to himself.

He heard her say a name that he hadn't heard in millions of years…

She uttered the name of Optimus Prime's long deceased daughter. Yet the question burned within his mind. How could she know that name? Only one answer surfaced. The reason why Megatron was going through such great lengths to hunt her and the reason why he wanted her alive.

Drift didn't know how it was possible…but he could sense that the answer was true.

The unconscious young woman resting within his driver's seat, was none other than Prime's long, lost child.

 **TO BE CONTINUED!**

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry, more about Rayne's past will soon be revealed and yes…daddy is coming to save her eventually. Probably within the next few chapters. I know it's an event everyone is anticipating. I promise it is coming! :D


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